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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vectrade.io/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Trading Desk

The Trading Desk is VTrade’s order execution interface — a professional-grade trading environment designed to replicate the experience of institutional dealing platforms. It combines real-time charting, a comprehensive order entry system, and live position management into a single unified workspace. VTrade Trading Desk — Split-panel interface with interactive chart on the left and order entry form on the right

Accessing the Trading Desk

Navigate to VTrade → Desk from the left sidebar navigation, or use the keyboard shortcut T from anywhere on the platform. Direct Symbol Access: Append a ticker symbol to the URL path (e.g., /vtrade/desk/AAPL) to load a specific instrument immediately. This is useful when linking from watchlists, alerts, or external tools. Cross-linking: Clicking any ticker symbol throughout VTrade (in your portfolio, market tables, Copilot responses, or social posts) will navigate directly to the Trading Desk with that instrument pre-loaded.

Interface Layout

Trading AAPL — Full desk layout showing candlestick chart, order form, and position panel The desk is organized into a responsive two-panel layout optimized for efficient workflow:

Left Panel — Market Analysis

The left panel provides all the information needed to make an informed trading decision: Price Header:
  • Company/instrument full name and exchange badge (e.g., “Apple Inc. · NASDAQ”)
  • Current market price with live tick indicator (flashes green on uptick, red on downtick)
  • Absolute change ($) and percentage change (%) from previous close
  • Trading session indicator (Pre-Market / Regular / After-Hours / Closed)
Intraday Statistics Bar:
MetricDescription
OpenSession opening price
HighHighest price reached today
LowLowest price reached today
Prev. CloseYesterday’s closing price
VolumeTotal shares traded today
Avg. Volume20-day average daily volume
Day RangeVisual slider showing current price position within today’s high–low range
52-Week RangeVisual slider showing current price within the annual high–low range
Interactive Chart:
  • Full-featured candlestick chart with zoom (mouse wheel), pan (click-drag), and crosshair cursor
  • Configurable timeframes: 1min, 5min, 15min, 1hr, 4hr, 1D, 1W
  • Multiple chart types: Candlestick (OHLC), Line (close only), Area (filled)
  • Technical indicator overlay system (detailed below)
  • Volume histogram beneath the price chart
  • Drawing tools: trend lines, horizontal lines, Fibonacci retracements

Right Panel — Order Execution

The right panel is your action center: Symbol Search:
  • Auto-complete search field — type ticker symbols or company names
  • Results display full name, ticker, exchange badge, and asset class icon
  • Supports fuzzy matching (e.g., typing “app” surfaces “Apple Inc. — AAPL”)
Order Direction:
  • BUY (green) — Establish or add to a long position
  • SELL (red) — Establish a short position or close/reduce a long position
Order Configuration Form:
  • Order type selector (Market, Limit, Stop, Stop-Limit)
  • Quantity field with ± stepper and percentage-of-buying-power quick buttons (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%)
  • Price field(s) — conditionally visible based on order type
  • Time-in-force selector
  • Extended hours toggle (when applicable)
Pre-Submission Preview:
FieldDescription
Estimated Fill PriceExpected execution price based on current bid/ask
Total Cost / ProceedsQuantity × estimated price
Commission FeeApplicable trading fee for this order
Net Debit / CreditFinal amount debited from or credited to your wallet
Remaining Buying PowerYour cash balance after this order (if filled)
Action Buttons:
  • Quick-add to Watchlist
  • Quick-add to Favorites
  • Request Copilot analysis (opens side panel with AI insight for this symbol)
  • Toggle extended hours data visibility
Position Tabs (Bottom):
  • Open Orders — All pending/working orders for any symbol
  • Positions — All current holdings with P&L

Instrument Discovery

Search Capabilities

The search bar supports multiple query formats:
Query FormatExampleResult
Ticker symbolAAPLExact match on Apple Inc.
Company nameTeslaFuzzy matches: Tesla Inc. (TSLA)
Currency pairEUR/USDEuropean Euro vs US Dollar
Crypto tokenBTCBitcoin (BTC-USD)
Partial matchNVDReturns: NVDA, NVDS, etc.
Search Result Cards Display:
  • Full instrument name
  • Ticker symbol
  • Exchange badge (NASDAQ, NYSE, LSE, TSE, KOSDAQ, CRYPTO, FOREX)
  • Asset class icon (stock, ETF, crypto, forex, commodity, index)
  • Current price and change %
Keyboard navigation: Use ↑↓ arrow keys to move through results, Enter to select, Escape to dismiss. This enables rapid instrument switching without using the mouse.

Order Types — Complete Reference

Market Order

Mechanics: Submits an order for immediate execution at the best available price (current ask for buys, current bid for sells). Characteristics:
  • Guarantees execution (assuming sufficient liquidity)
  • Does NOT guarantee a specific fill price
  • Subject to slippage in fast-moving or illiquid markets
  • Fastest time-to-fill of all order types
Appropriate Use Cases:
  • Immediate entry when timing matters more than price precision
  • Highly liquid instruments where bid-ask spread is minimal (e.g., AAPL, SPY)
  • Exiting a losing position quickly to limit further damage
Example Scenario:
AAPL is trading at 185.40(bid)/185.40 (bid) / 185.42 (ask). You submit a market buy for 100 shares. The order fills at 185.42thecurrentaskprice.Involatileconditions,thefillcouldbe185.42 — the current ask price. In volatile conditions, the fill could be 185.44 or $185.50 if the ask moved during transmission.
Avoid market orders on low-volume instruments or during high-volatility events (e.g., earnings releases, FOMC announcements). The spread can widen significantly, resulting in unfavorable fills. Use limit orders instead for price-sensitive entries.

Limit Order

Mechanics: Places an order to execute only at your specified price or better. Buy limits execute at or below your price; sell limits execute at or above your price. Characteristics:
  • Guarantees price (if filled) — you will never receive a worse price than specified
  • Does NOT guarantee execution — the market may never reach your price
  • Remains pending until filled, expired, or cancelled
  • Visible to the order book (provides liquidity)
Appropriate Use Cases:
  • Entering a position at a predetermined price level (support zones, technical targets)
  • Taking profit at a specific upside target
  • Accumulating shares during a pullback without watching the screen
Example Scenario:
AAPL is trading at 185.42.Youbelieveitwilldipto185.42. You believe it will dip to 180 before continuing higher. You place a buy limit at 180.00,GTC.Threedayslater,AAPLdipsto180.00, GTC. Three days later, AAPL dips to 179.80 on a market pullback — your order fills at $180.00 or better.

Stop Order (Stop-Loss)

Mechanics: A dormant order that activates only when the market price reaches your specified stop level. Once triggered, it converts into a market order for immediate execution. Characteristics:
  • Does not execute until the stop price is touched
  • After trigger, behaves exactly like a market order (subject to slippage)
  • Used primarily for risk management (downside protection)
  • Can also be used for breakout entries (buy-stop above resistance)
Appropriate Use Cases:
  • Protecting a long position against unexpected decline (stop-loss)
  • Entering a breakout: place a buy-stop above resistance, it triggers only if the breakout occurs
  • Automating exit discipline to avoid emotional decision-making
Example Scenario:
You own 100 shares of AAPL at an average cost of 185.Yousetasellstopat185. You set a sell-stop at 175.00 to limit your maximum loss to ~10/share.IfAAPLdropsto10/share. If AAPL drops to 175, the stop triggers and a market sell is executed — likely filling near $175, but potentially lower in a gap-down scenario.

Stop-Limit Order

Mechanics: A two-price order that triggers a limit order (not market) when the stop price is reached. This gives you price protection after the trigger, at the cost of execution certainty. Characteristics:
  • Stop Price — The trigger level that activates the order
  • Limit Price — The worst acceptable fill price after trigger
  • If the market gaps through both prices, the order may never fill
  • Provides more control than a plain stop order
Appropriate Use Cases:
  • Stop-loss protection where you refuse to sell below a minimum price (prefer no fill over a terrible fill)
  • Earnings events where you want downside protection but fear a flash crash that recovers
Example Scenario:
You own AAPL at 185.Yousetastoplimitwithstopat185. You set a stop-limit with stop at 175 and limit at 174.00.IfAAPLdropsto174.00. If AAPL drops to 175, a limit sell at 174.00isplaced.IfAAPLgapsfrom174.00 is placed. If AAPL gaps from 176 directly to 172(belowyour172 (below your 174 limit), the order will NOT fill — you retain the position.
Stop-limit orders can fail to protect you in fast-moving markets. If price gaps through your limit, you remain exposed to further losses. Consider whether execution certainty (stop order) or price control (stop-limit) is more important for your specific situation.

Time-in-Force — Duration Parameters

Time-in-force determines how long your order remains active before automatic cancellation:
CodeFull NameDurationBehavior
GTCGood Till CancelledUp to 90 calendar daysRemains active across trading sessions until filled, cancelled by you, or the 90-day expiry
DAYDay OrderCurrent trading session onlyAutomatically cancelled at market close (4:00 PM ET for US equities) if unfilled
IOCImmediate or CancelInstantaneousFills whatever quantity is immediately available, cancels any unfilled remainder
FOKFill or KillInstantaneousMust fill the ENTIRE order quantity at once, or the entire order is rejected (no partial fills)
GTC is the default time-in-force. Use DAY for intraday-only orders. Use IOC when you want whatever is available now but don’t want a hanging order.

Step-by-Step: Executing a Buy Order

  1. Load the instrument — Type the ticker symbol (e.g., NVDA) in the search field. Select the correct result from the dropdown (verify the exchange badge matches your intent).
  2. Analyze the chart — Review the current price action, identify support/resistance levels, and assess momentum using technical indicators. Switch timeframes as needed.
  3. Select direction — Click the green BUY button. The order form configuration updates to reflect a purchase.
  4. Choose order type — Select from the dropdown: Market (immediate), Limit (price-controlled), Stop (breakout/protection), or Stop-Limit (price-controlled trigger).
  5. Set quantity — Enter the number of shares/units manually, use the ± stepper, or click the percentage buttons:
    • 25% — Uses 25% of available buying power
    • 50% — Uses 50% of available buying power
    • 75% — Uses 75% of available buying power
    • 100% — Uses entire available buying power (max position)
  6. Configure price (if applicable) — For Limit orders, enter your target buy price. For Stop orders, enter the trigger price. For Stop-Limit orders, enter both the stop trigger and limit price.
  7. Set time-in-force — Select GTC, DAY, IOC, or FOK based on your urgency and strategy.
  8. Review the cost preview — Before submission, examine:
    • Estimated fill price (for market orders, based on current ask)
    • Total estimated cost (quantity × estimated price)
    • Trading fee breakdown
    • Net debit amount
    • Post-trade buying power remaining
  9. Submit the order — Click the submit button. A confirmation dialog appears showing all order parameters. Click Confirm to send the order to the matching engine.
  10. Monitor status — The order appears in the Open Orders tab (bottom of right panel) showing status: Working, Partially Filled, or Filled. Once fully filled, the position appears in the Positions tab.

Step-by-Step: Executing a Sell Order

  1. Select the instrument — Either search for the ticker, or click directly on an existing position in the Positions tab.
  2. Click SELL — The red sell button activates the sell order form.
  3. Set quantity — Enter shares to sell manually, or click Max to close the entire position. For partial position reduction, enter the specific quantity.
  4. Configure order type and price — Follow the same logic as buy orders. For take-profit exits, use Limit orders. For stop-loss protection, use Stop orders.
  5. Review and submit — Verify the proceeds estimate and confirm.

Execution Simulation Engine

VTrade employs a realistic market simulation engine to provide educational value that mirrors live trading conditions:

Slippage Model

Market orders and triggered stops experience slippage proportional to:
  • Instrument liquidity — High-volume instruments (AAPL, SPY) experience minimal slippage (0–2 basis points). Low-volume instruments experience wider slippage (5–20 bps).
  • Order size — Larger orders relative to average volume experience greater market impact.
  • Volatility regime — During high-VIX environments, slippage parameters increase.

Partial Fill Simulation

Orders exceeding the simulated available liquidity at a price level may fill in multiple tranches across several seconds or minutes, mimicking real order book dynamics.

Market Hours Enforcement

Asset ClassTrading Hours (Local Exchange Time)Pre/After-Hours
US Equities9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET4:00 AM – 9:30 AM / 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET
US ETFsSame as equitiesSame as equities
Crypto24/7/365N/A (always open)
Forex24/5 (Sunday 5:00 PM – Friday 5:00 PM ET)N/A
CommoditiesVaries by contractN/A
Orders submitted outside trading hours are queued and executed at the next market open.

Commission Structure

Asset ClassFee Per TradeMinimumNotes
US Equities$0.005/share$1.00Capped at $10.00 per order
ETFs$0.005/share$1.00Same as equities
Crypto0.10% of notional$0.50
ForexSpread-basedNo separate commission; built into bid-ask spread
Commodities$1.50/contract$1.50

Position Limits

To encourage diversification and risk management:
  • Maximum single-position size: 25% of total portfolio value
  • Maximum leverage: 2:1 for equities, 1:1 for crypto
  • Minimum order size: 1 share/unit (fractional shares not supported)

Position Management

Open Orders Panel

Your working orders are displayed in a sortable table:
ColumnDescription
SymbolInstrument ticker and exchange
TypeOrder type (Market, Limit, Stop, etc.)
SideBUY or SELL with color indicator
QtyOrder quantity (filled/total for partial fills)
PriceLimit price, stop price, or “MKT” for market
TIFTime-in-force code
StatusWorking / Partially Filled / Pending (pre-market)
SubmittedTimestamp of order submission
ActionsCancel (×) button to revoke the order

Positions Panel

Your current holdings are displayed with real-time P&L:
ColumnDescription
SymbolInstrument ticker (clickable — loads chart)
SideLONG or SHORT
QtyCurrent position size
Avg. CostVolume-weighted average entry price
Market PriceCurrent last-traded price
Market ValueCurrent position value (Qty × Price)
Unrealized P&LDollar gain/loss (Market Value – Cost Basis)
Unrealized %Percentage gain/loss
WeightPosition as a percentage of total portfolio
ActionsQuick-close button, modify-stop button
Click any position row to instantly load that instrument’s chart on the left panel. This enables rapid analysis of existing holdings without manual search.

Chart Analysis Tools

Timeframe Options

TimeframeUse Case
1min, 5minScalping, intraday momentum
15minIntraday swing setups
1hrMulti-day swing trades
4hrIntermediate trend analysis
1DDaily trend, support/resistance levels
1WLong-term trend, major levels

Technical Indicators

Add indicators from the overlay menu (click the indicators icon on the chart toolbar):
IndicatorCategoryDescription
SMA (20/50/200)TrendSimple Moving Average — smooths price to identify direction
EMA (9/21/50)TrendExponential Moving Average — faster response to recent prices
Bollinger BandsVolatility2-standard-deviation envelope around 20-SMA
RSI (14)MomentumRelative Strength Index — overbought (>70) / oversold (<30)
MACDMomentumMoving Average Convergence Divergence — crossover signals
VWAPVolumeVolume-Weighted Average Price — institutional benchmark
Volume ProfileVolumeHorizontal histogram of volume at each price level
Stochastic (14,3)Momentum%K and %D lines for momentum extremes
ATR (14)VolatilityAverage True Range — measures daily price movement magnitude

Drawing Tools

Access drawing tools from the chart toolbar:
  • Trend Line — Draw diagonal support/resistance lines
  • Horizontal Line — Mark key price levels
  • Fibonacci Retracement — Standard 23.6%, 38.2%, 50%, 61.8%, 78.6% levels
  • Rectangle — Highlight consolidation zones
  • Text Annotation — Add notes to the chart

Programmatic Order Execution

For users who prefer algorithmic or automated trading, VTrade provides SDK access for programmatic order placement:

Python SDK

from vectrade import VecTrade

client = VecTrade(api_key="your_api_key")

# Market buy
order = client.trade.place_order(
    symbol="AAPL",
    exchange="NASDAQ",
    side="BUY",
    order_type="MARKET",
    quantity=10
)
print(f"Order {order.id}: {order.status} — filled at ${order.fill_price}")

# Limit buy with GTC
order = client.trade.place_order(
    symbol="NVDA",
    exchange="NASDAQ",
    side="BUY",
    order_type="LIMIT",
    quantity=5,
    limit_price=800.00,
    time_in_force="GTC"
)

TypeScript/Node SDK

import { VecTrade } from '@vectrade/sdk';

const client = new VecTrade({ apiKey: 'your_api_key' });

const order = await client.trade.placeOrder({
  symbol: 'AAPL',
  exchange: 'NASDAQ',
  side: 'BUY',
  orderType: 'LIMIT',
  quantity: 10,
  limitPrice: 180.00,
  timeInForce: 'GTC',
});

console.log(`Order ${order.id}: ${order.status}`);
Refer to the Developer Portal for API key management and the SDK documentation for the complete method reference.