Trading from the chart

Charts places real orders through a connected account, and simulated ones in a replay session. Every trade starts as a draft on the chart: nothing reaches your broker until you confirm it. Connect a broker and place your first trade walks through a first one.

Choose the account

Hover Select Account in the top toolbar and pick an account. None keeps Charts for charting only. Accounts that are still syncing, need a symbol mapped or need review show a badge beside their name. Accounts in error or disabled cannot be picked. Manage accounts opens your accounts.

In a replay session the account is the session's own simulated one, with the starting balance you set.

Place a market order from the trade bar

The trade bar is the fastest route to a market order, in real time.

1. If the trade bar is hidden, click its icon in the top toolbar. The tooltip reads Show trade bar.

2. Check the instrument and set the quantity.

3. Click Buy or Sell.

4. Under Log this trade?, click a playbook, tick the criteria that are true right now, and click Draft. Or click Skip Playbook Selection.

The draft appears on the chart at the current price, with no stop or target yet. When the market is closed, Buy and Sell read Market closed with the time it opens.

Place any order from the Position Manager

The Position Manager handles limit, stop and stop limit orders as well as market ones, and it is the route to use in replay.

1. Right-click the chart and choose Position Manager → Open as a Panel. Open in Floating Panels floats it over the chart instead.

2. Pick Buy / Long or Sell / Short, and the order type: Market, Limit, Stop or Stop Limit.

3. Set the quantity. For a pending order, type the price or click Set price on chart and click the chart.

4. Under Orders, add a Take profit and a Stop loss if you want them now.

5. Click Add to chart, then file it under Log this trade? as above.

Confirm the draft

A draft shows an entry label with the quantity, order type and side.

1. Drag the arrow handle on the entry label to add a target and a stop. On a long, drag up for the target and down for the stop. On a short, the other way round.

2. Drag either line to adjust it.

3. Click the tick on the entry label to send the order. The label reads Filling... until the broker fills it.

The cross on a draft's label cancels it. Hovering the draft shows the same choices as a menu: Manage Position, Confirm Trade and Cancel Trade.

Manage an open position

• Drag the stop or target line to move it. The cross on a stop or target cancels that order.

• Hover the position for Manage Position, Close Partial and Close Position.

• The cross on an open position's entry label closes the whole position at market straight away, with no confirmation.

In the Position Manager, Partial closes part of the position and Close all closes it at market, also without confirmation.

When the broker says no

If the broker rejects an order, a dialog gives the reason in plain words, such as The market is closed, Not enough free margin or The price moved, with the broker's own message under it. If the broker does not answer in time, there is no telling yet whether the order reached the market: check your positions before you place it again.

Every trade you place is saved to Trades with snapshots of your chart, and filed in the playbook you picked.