Contingency Order

Contingency order

In the context of general equities, order to buy one security, if the trader can sell another, usually given that certain price limits or conditions reach a certain level. Swap, switch order.

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Contingent Order

An order to a broker to conduct a transaction on the assumption that a related transaction is conducted. The related transaction may occur before, after, or at the same time as the contingent order. That is, an investor may give an order to his/her broker to buy Stock A contingent upon the sale of Stock B. A common example of a contingent order is a buy-write, in which an investor orders his/her broker to buy a security and at the same time write an option with that security as the underlying asset.

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Contingency order. A contingency order to buy or sell a security or other investment product is one that has strings attached.

Specifically, it is an order, such as a stop order, a stop-limit order, or an all-or-none order, that is to be executed only if the condition or conditions that the order specifies are met.

For example, if you gave a stop-limit order to sell a particular stock if the price fell to $30 -- the stop price -- but not to sell if the transaction price were less than $27 -- the limit price -- execution would be contingent on the stock price being between $27 and $30.

Broker-dealers aren't required to accept contingency orders, but if they do accept them they are required to abide by the terms of the order.