Default Order Settings

A "default" order parameter is the value that automatically appears on your order management line when you create an order. The system uses default values to help save time. Instead of invoking a completely blank order management line, when you instigate an order each field is filled in with a default value. Each of these parameters can be manually changed on your trading screen before you transmit an order, but if you use certain parameters for most of your orders, you will save time by making that value your default order value.

Please note that certain default settings may not be applicable to particular orders depending on the product involved. Customers are solely responsible for ensuring that their order specifications are available for the product involved. It is recommended that customers check each order ticket or order entry line for a particular product to ensure that their order specifications are available for that order.

For example, if you use VWAP orders 95% of the time, you can change your Default Order Type to VWAP. Now each time you click on the Bid or Ask price to create an order, the order type and order destination are automatically set to VWAP. You use the Default Order Settings window to modify the default order values, including order type, order size, offset amounts and time in force, for specific instrument types. You can also set order defaults that will only be applied to a specific contract.

Settings

Field Name	Description	NoNotes
Order Type	Set the order type you use most often.
Trigger Method	The trigger method is used to trigger Stop, Stop Limit, Trailing Stop and Trailing Stop Limit orders.
Time in Force	The time in force determines how long the order will remain working at its destination.
Open/Close	Sets the default to be opening a new position or closing a position.	Used for IBExecution services customers.
ISE Order Type	The Standard order is completely anonymous. The SOI order broadcasts the symbol to other ISE MPM members and may get execution priority.
Order Origin	Defines the origin of your order in relation to the market.
Allow order to be activated, triggered or filled outside of regular trading hours	If unchecked, trading hours are determined by the opening/closing times of the order destination, stop orders will not trigger outside of regular trading hours.	Valid for US stocks listed on major exchanges. Please note that the Regular Trading Hours Only option may not be available for particular products that are not listed on an exchange. IB customers are solely responsible for ensuring that this parameter is available for the product involved. Not available for IOC, At-the-Open (MOO and LOO), FOK, MOC or LOC orders.
Consider cost when routing	If checked, Smart routing will consider the total cost of executing the order, including commissions and other fees, when deciding where to route the order. If unchecked, only the exchange price is considered. Only valid for stocks routed to FWB.	Your order may not executed at the best exchange price since we take into account total price including commissions.
Hide Pennies	For smart-routed options: If checked, hides the pennies on your order from the market.	Note that, even if you hide your penny price, the rounded version of your order (rounded DOWN to a nickel or dime increment for a BID, and UP for an OFFER) will still be transmitted to an options exchange for display.

Default Order Sizes

Field Name	Description	NoNotes
Use closing position size if possible	When checked, if you hold a position in the asset, the system will create the order equal to the quantity of your open position on the assumption that you want to close out your position. If you hold no position, the system will use the default order size.
Use cumulative size for Market Depth	If checked, when you create an order from any line in the market depth window, the order size is set to the total cumulative size available for that asset. Otherwise, the order size will be equal to the quantity in the Size field of the order line from which the order is created.
Use Default Amount to Calculate Size	If checked, the default order size will be calculated based on the dollar amount you enter in the Def Amount field on this page. The calculated order size is then displayed in the Quantity field on the trading page as the default amount.
Default Size/Default Amount	The default order size.	If you check Use Default Amount to Calculate Size (above) the field name changes to Default Amount.
Size Increment	The interval by which the order size increase/decrease is displayed when using the size wand, or the amount by which the quantity will increase/decrease when using the hotkeys.
Display Size	The default amount that will be displayed for Iceberg orders.

Default Order Offset Amounts

Field Name	Description	NoNotes
Stop	The amount or number of ticks off the current market price that will be used for auto stop orders to set the stop election price. This value is used to calculate the stop price and the limit price for attached bracket orders.	Use the Ticks/Amount dropdown selection to specify which type of offset you want to use.
Trailing	The amount off the current market price by which you want the stop price to trail.
Stop-Limit	The amount off the current market price that will be used for stop limit orders to set the stop election price. This field only applies if you first set the default order type to STP LMT.	Use the Ticks/Amount dropdown with this value to specify the units.
Relative	The amount that will be added to the best bid (for a buy order) and subtracted from the best ask (for a sell order) to create the limit price at which the relative order will be submitted.
Discretionary	An additional amount added to or subtracted from the limit price to help ensure that the order will execute.

Precautionary Settings

Field Name	Description	NoNotes
Percentage	This option was created as a safety net to prevent you from transmitting a limit order that has a mistyped limit price. If you attempt to transmit a limit order with a price outside of this calculated percent off the market price, you will receive a message asking you to verify that you meant to enter that off-percentage price before it will transmit the order. The market price used is the price displayed in either the bid (sell) or ask (buy) field at the time you transmit the order. This option can be left blank.
Size Limit	Limits the value in the Quantity field. If you enter a higher value, you can override the default size limit by clicking Yes in the warning box.
Number of Ticks	Like the Percentage option above, number of ticks is also a safety net to prevent you from transmitting a limit order that has a mistyped limit price. If you attempt to transmit a limit order with a price outside of this calculated number of ticks off the market price, you will get a message asking you to verify that you meant to enter the off-percentage price before it will transmit the order. The market price used is the price displayed in either the bid (sell) or ask (buy) field at the time you transmit the order. This option can be left blank.

OCA Group

Field Name	Description	NoNotes
If one order in group is partially filled, other orders should be...
Reduced in size	The default is to have other orders in the OCA group proportionately reduced in size based on the quantity of the filled portion.
Cancelled	All other orders in the group are cancelled
Overfill Protection	If checked, this dictates that only 1 order in the group will be routed to an exchange at a time. This strategy completely removes the possibility of an overfill.

Display Settings

Field Name	Description	NoNotes
Multiplier	Multiplies the price by this value.
Offset	You can use this to offset a displayed price for instance for a specific futures contract. Say ES bid/ask is 1314.75/1315.00. First, select Futures in the middle pane, then click the Add button at the bottom of the column and enter ES. Enter an offset of 1300. To see how this will display, in the Test box enter 1314.75 and click the Test button. The example displays as 14.75.
Rounding	Change the default of None to Round, Nearest Valid Price or Truncate. Use the Test entry field to enter a value, can click Test to see the result.
Decimals	Overrides the default 2 decimal-place price display.
Show using italics	Displays price data italicized.
Show Reciprocal	Re-calculates the quote to 1/quote. This setting allows Asian contracts to be viewed in the familiar local format.	You can apply the reciprocal display to specific contracts using the Add button beneath the left-pane list. Select an instrument type, click Add, and enter a symbol. Highlight that symbol and click Show Reciprocal.
Test	Used to test the display changes you have made. Enter a hypothetical price value, then click the Test button. All of the Display Setting changes are applied and the result shows as the Example.