Pending Order

A pending order is an order that sits on the broker's server waiting for a specific price to be reached before it activates. Unlike market orders that execute instantly, pending orders let you plan trades in advance — setting your entry point and walking away until the market comes to you.

There are four basic pending order types: buy limit (buy below current price), sell limit (sell above current price), buy stop (buy above current price), and sell stop (sell below current price). MT5 adds two more: buy stop limit and sell stop limit, which combine elements of both.

Pending orders are powerful because they remove the need to stare at charts all day. You can analyze the market, identify your ideal entry levels, set pending orders with attached stop losses and take profits, and let the orders work. If price never reaches your level, the orders expire (if you set an expiration) or remain until you cancel them. This approach suits traders who prefer planned, deliberate entries over impulsive decisions.