Chart trading¶
cTrader allows you to create orders, price alerts, modify open positions, and set or modify stop-loss and take-profit protections directly on the chart.
Quick Trade¶
To enter a trade in Quick Trade mode directly from the chart, hover over the Sell or Buy Quick Trade buttons at the top of the chart. The Volume selector will appear automatically between them.
Adjust the volume of the trade with the toggles by typing in the desired value or selecting the value from the drop-down, and click the Buy or Sell buttons (or double-click, depending on your Quick Trade settings) to send an order.
The order will be sent immediately and the respective notification will pop up in the upper right if notifications are enabled.
Note
Depending on the Quick Trade settings, cTrader will either send an order or pop up the Create order menu.
Drag and drop the buy limit/stop order box to the right (or the sell limit/stop order box to the left) to place a limit or stop order.
The table below shows how order positions relate to the spread:
| Position relative to the spread | Order type |
|---|---|
| Below and between the spread | Buy limit orders |
| Above the spread | Buy stop orders |
| Above and between the spread | Sell limit orders |
| Below the spread | Sell stop orders |
The pending orders will display in the chart right on the price level you have placed them. You can drag and drop them to modify orders directly in the chart.
Please check the Application settings section for more details on how the Quick Trade works.
Orders¶
Alternatively, to create orders directly from the chart, right-click the desired price level and select Place new order to open the New order menu. You can also select Sell/buy limit, Sell/buy stop or Buy/sell stop limit to create the respective order directly at the desired price level.
Note
The bid and ask price lines move up and down with each tick of the current spot price.
Therefore, depending on where you create an order (above the bid price or below the ask price), cTrader will automatically suggest the direction of the order: buy limit, sell stop and sell stop limit below the ask price, or sell limit, buy stop and buy stop limit above the bid price.
The new order badge will appear on the chart. It contains the number of lots being traded, the pips, the current position net profit or loss, as well as the managing and protection buttons. Hover over the order badge to see its detailed information.
To modify your orders or protections:
- Modify your order: Drag and drop it along the price axis or double-click to open the Modify order menu.
- Modify stop-loss or take-profit protections: Drag and drop the respective badge below or above the order badge.
Price alerts¶
To set the price alerts directly from the chart, right-click on the desired price level and select the desired price alert at bid or ask price.
The price alert line will automatically appear on the chart. Drag and drop the price alert badge to modify the price alert, or use the x button to cancel it.
Positions¶
When you open a position, the position badge becomes visible on the symbol chart. It contains the number of lots trading, the pips, the current position net profit or loss, as well as the managing and protection buttons. You can see the position reflected on your chart as a dash and dot line.
If you do not see your current trading positions on the chart, hover over the View options icon at the top of the chart to make sure orders and positions are selected.
Double-click the position badge on the chart to open the Modify position menu.
Click and drag the TP or SL sliders to the desired price level to set or modify the stop-loss or take-profit protections. The standard Advanced protection, Reverse and Double buttons are available next to the position preview.
Hover over the current position or order line to highlight it and the corresponding order or position in Trade Watch, as well as its open price on the price axis. The dot on the position line shows the time when the order was created, and you can click the x button next to the desired position to close it.
Pending orders¶
When creating a pending order, it is reflected on the symbol chart as a dash and dot line with the respective order badge. Click the desired order icon to open the Modify order menu. The stop-loss (SL) and take-profit (TP) levels are shown on the chart as dotted lines above and below the order line.
Until the current price reaches the price you set for the pending order to be filled, you can drag and drop the order badge to change the price. You can also drag and drop both SL and TP lines using their respective badges on the left. If you want to cancel a pending order or remove SL/TP, click the x button next to the respective badge. The dot on the order line shows the time when the order was created.
