Admirals Stop Loss Orders guide

Stop-related orders come in several forms, including standard stop losses, stop limit orders and trailing stops, and availability can differ by platform and by instrument class. Read the broker's order execution policy and platform documentation for the exact products you hold, then place a test order on a demo account to see the behaviour first hand. Ask Admirals support which stop order types are supported for the instruments and account type you plan to use.

A standard stop loss becomes a market order when triggered, which means the fill price can differ from your stop level, especially when markets gap over weekends, around news or at the open. A stop limit order controls the fill price but may not execute at all if price moves through the limit. Understand which behaviour applies to each order type you use, whether stops are triggered on bid, ask or last price, and whether the broker offers any guaranteed variant. Do not assume a guarantee exists unless the broker's documents state it for your account.

Long-term investors should decide deliberately whether stop losses fit their approach. Stops can limit losses on a single position, but they can also convert temporary volatility into realised losses if set too tight, and each triggered stop may create trading costs and tax events. Some investors prefer position sizing, diversification and scheduled rebalancing instead of stops, while others use wide stops on concentrated positions. Whatever you choose, write the rules down before markets move. Related guides are in the long-term investing hub, the find my broker checklist helps compare order features across brokers, and the brokerage fee calculator can estimate the cost of trades a stop might trigger.