Featured
Several highlights we've selected for you.
Order Entry and Saved Orders
The main order entry tool appears at the bottom of your screen and can help you create several common orders (check out Order Types for a complete list) and save custom orders you create. You can open this tool by clicking BUY or SELL for a symbol.
Once opened, click the dropdown in the Order column to select an order type. The entry tool will then change to the order template for that type.
Notice how the order price, except for ~MKT market orders, automatically changes based on underlying mark price. This is an unlocked price value and can be “locked” by clicking the % lock icon next to the price.
- An open lock %is an unlocked price that changes as the underlying changes.
- A closed lock & is a locked price that doesn’t automatically change.
Locked prices don’t change automatically but can be adjusted using the + and – buttons. Regardless of order type you can always type in or use the + and – buttons to adjust order price.
This page covers the following content:
- Market Orders
- Limit Orders
- Stop Orders
- Stop Limit Orders
- Trailing Stop and Trailing Stop Limit Orders
- Market on Close (MOC) Orders
- Limit on Close (LOC) Orders
- Order Rules
- Saved Orders
If you are interested in learning about Walk Limit® orders, please refer to this page.
Getting Started
The working area of the thinkorswim platform can be divided into two parts: the left sidebar and the main window. The left sidebar is where you keep gadgets necessary for your work. The main window contains eight tabs, which provide you with numerous kinds of functionality: Monitor, Trade, Analyze, Scan, MarketWatch, Charts, Tools, and Help. All these tabs also have subtabs, each dedicated to a certain thinkorswim feature. The manual you’re reading now describes these features in detail (refer to the corresponding pages for more information), but for now, let’s focus on what can be found under the seven main tabs:
The Monitor tab is the primary location where your trading activity is tracked. This includes many kinds of data: your orders, positions, statements, cash balances, and trading account status.
The Trade tab contains the following interfaces: All Products, Forex Trader, Futures Trader, Pairs Trader, and Active Trader.
The Analyze tab provides you with analysis techniques of many kinds, including simulation of "what-if scenarios" on both real and hypothetical trades, volatility and probability analyses, the Economic Data indicator database, and option back-testing.
The Scan tab enables you to filter through tens of thousands of stock, option, futures and forex products available based on your search criteria.
The MarketWatch tab provides you with market data of many kinds as well as techniques that will help you process it. The following sub-tabs are available in MarketWatch: Quotes, Alerts, Visualize, Financing Rates, and Calendar.
The Charts tab provides you with a powerful graphic interface of real-time market data with an extensive selection of technical analysis tools.
The Tools tab encompasses several handy thinkorswim features: thinkLog, Videos, and Shared Items.
Workspaces
In thinkorswim® you’ve always gotten to build your own sandbox. As you use the platform, you’ll likely change some of the settings or select different features to use. As you change things to better suit your trading needs, you’re also building your own sandbox.
But what if you don’t know where to start?
At thinkorswim®, we’ve created six different setup windows you can choose from. These different setups are what we call workspaces. If you ever want to change your workspace, use the Setup Wizard available from the Setup menu.
You can still build your own sandbox, but now you have a place to start!
Holiday
Holiday
Holiday
Holiday