Stock Trading
Trading stocks and ETFs
Stock Trading
Finterion supports automated trading of stocks and ETFs through various brokers. This guide covers everything you need to know about stock trading on the platform.
Supported Brokers
TradersPost supports buying, selling and shorting US Equities and Index ETFs through the following brokers:
Order Types
Market Orders
A market order executes immediately at the current market price.
{
"action": "buy",
"symbol": "AAPL",
"quantity": 10,
"type": "market"
}
Limit Orders
A limit order only executes at your specified price or better.
{
"action": "buy",
"symbol": "AAPL",
"quantity": 10,
"type": "limit",
"price": 150.00
}
Stop Orders
A stop order becomes a market order when the stop price is reached.
{
"action": "sell",
"symbol": "AAPL",
"quantity": 10,
"type": "stop",
"stopPrice": 145.00
}
Trading Hours
| Session | Time (ET) | Available |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Market | 4:00 AM - 9:30 AM | Some brokers |
| Regular | 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM | All brokers |
| After-Hours | 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Some brokers |
Note: Extended hours trading may have lower liquidity and wider spreads.
Position Management
Opening a Position
When a trading bot opens a position:
- Validates sufficient buying power
- Checks against position limits
- Sends order to broker
- Confirms execution
- Updates portfolio
Closing a Position
Positions can be closed:
- Manually: You close via dashboard
- Bot Signal: Trading bot decides to exit
- Stop Loss: Price hits your stop level
- Take Profit: Price hits your target
Fractional Shares
Some brokers support fractional share trading:
| Broker | Fractional Support |
|---|---|
| Alpaca | ✅ Yes |
| Robinhood | ✅ Yes |
| Interactive Brokers | ✅ Yes |
| TradeStation | ❌ No |
| Tradier | ❌ No |
Short Selling
Short selling allows you to profit from declining prices:
- Broker lends you shares
- You sell the borrowed shares
- Later, you buy back shares to return
- Profit = Sell Price - Buy Price - Fees
Warning: Short selling has unlimited loss potential. Use with caution.
Fees and Commissions
| Broker | Commission | Other Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Alpaca | $0 | None |
| Robinhood | $0 | None |
| Interactive Brokers | $0.005/share | Minimum $1 |
| TradeStation | $0 | None |
Best Practices
- Start Small: Test with small positions first
- Use Limits: Prefer limit orders over market orders
- Set Stops: Always have a stop-loss strategy
- Monitor: Regularly check your positions
- Diversify: Don't put all eggs in one basket
Related Documentation
- Orders - Understanding order types
- Positions - Managing open positions
- Risk Metrics - Evaluating risk