{"id":179871,"date":"2021-06-07T13:55:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T17:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ibkrcampus.com\/glossary-terms\/market-order\/"},"modified":"2025-06-20T13:20:39","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T17:20:39","slug":"market-order","status":"publish","type":"glossary-terms","link":"https:\/\/www.interactivebrokers.com\/campus\/glossary-terms\/market-order\/","title":{"rendered":"Market Order"},"content":{"rendered":"

A market order is the most basic and commonly used type of trade order in financial markets. It instructs a broker to buy or sell a security immediately at the best available current price. Market orders are typically executed quickly during normal trading hours, making them ideal for investors who prioritize speed and certainty of execution over price precision. Unlike limit orders, market orders do not guarantee a specific execution price.<\/p>\n

The main advantage of using a market order is its immediacy\u2014especially in highly liquid markets where the bid-ask spread is narrow. However, in fast-moving or illiquid markets, the actual execution price may differ from the last quoted price due to slippage. For large orders, market impact can also become a concern, potentially pushing prices higher (for buys) or lower (for sells) as the order is filled.<\/p>\n

Investors must weigh the trade-offs between speed and price control when choosing to use market orders. While they are useful for quickly entering or exiting positions, especially in emergencies or when reacting to news events, market orders are not always optimal in volatile conditions. Understanding market depth, trading volume, and execution risks is essential for using market orders wisely, particularly for less liquid securities or during pre- and post-market sessions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The most basic order type, a Market order is an order to buy or sell an asset at the bid or offer price currently available in the marketplace. For more information, see the Market Orders page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"traders-glossary":[13255,13251],"class_list":{"0":"post-179871","1":"glossary-terms","2":"type-glossary-terms","3":"status-publish","5":"traders-glossary-trading-terms-m","6":"traders-glossary-trading-alphabet"},"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nArchives Term | IBKR Glossary | IBKR Campus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The most basic order type, a Market order is an order to buy or sell an asset at the bid or offer price currently available in the marketplace.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.interactivebrokers.com\/campus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary-terms\/179871\/\" \/>\n<meta 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