Creating a Multi-Exit OCO
Order templates can be enabled from the main properties/contract/order toolbar/order templates.
Click the order template button on your ladder to activate the template.
Then click the edit order template icon to edit or create a new template.
Tip:to edit an existing template simply select the template from the drop down menu and click the edit order template button. From here you can make changes to the template. Clicking the clear button will remove your selections within the template. To delete an existing template, a template must first be created, then the x to delete will turn red and allow you to delete the selected template. When you are done editing simply click OK at the bottom of the edit template window.
After clicking the edit template button it will bring up the order template window. Click the Green plus sign (+) to bring up the create template drop down menu. Select the template you wish to create and click OK.
Now the template you selected will be visible in the name field. Here is where you can keep the default template name or simply highlight the name and type in a unique name for your template.
Once the name and type are entered you can build your template. You need to select your initial buy or sell quantity at a price level of 0. In my case I am going to select a limit buy of 4 for the initial. I click the buy side to the left of the 0. A dialog pops up and I enter a quantity of 4 and then choose limit. Then I click OK. Now my initial order is set.
Now we need to enter the OCO parameters. This can be broken up however you want but it must equal the initial QTY. You can enter multiple combinations up to 16 legs. The limit will be above and stop will be below the initial. In this case I am selecting four separate 1 lot limit orders. One will be submitted 2 ticks above the initial fill, a second three ticks, a third 4 ticks, and a fourth 4 ticks away from the initial. I also need to set my protective stops. I have chosen to submit a 2 lot stop market set to trigger 2 ticks away, a one lot stop market 3 ticks away and a 1 lot stop market 4 ticks away from the initial. When you click at the initial you will get a dialog box just like the one displayed for the initial.
Before finishing the setup you can choose to select from the ratio mode. If it is checked each leg is multiplied by the current volume selected prior to submission. For this demo setup I am checking off the ratio mode. (Note: this will be explained further when the submission is explained).
TIP:A template is defined with respect to one side of the market. If the template is used on the other side of the market the definition or order relationship will be reversed.
Now that the template is created to our liking we can click OK on the setup. The template is created and is now visible to be selected for trading on your template drop down menu. By checking off the ratio mode it is multiplying each leg by the current quantity selected. So in the screen shot I set my volume on the ladder to 2 and when I submitted the order you see that I am now working 8 not 4 at a price of 3735. If had not checked off the ratio mode and selected a 2 lot to submit, it would have submitted a 4 lot instead of an 8 lot.
IMPORTANT TIP: When you click the template button the template that is displayed in the drop down menu is active. To disable the template simply click the order template button to turn it off. When turned off you will no longer see the drop down menu.
TIP: When you submit a multi-exit oco the initial is sent to the exchange and the conditional oco orders are held on the server until the inital is triggered. You can confirm these orders in your
ALL or
HELD section of your
Order Book.
Now my order was filled at 3741 and as you can see after the initial order was filled my OCO was broken up and submitted at the distance I specified from the initial fill price. Also note since the ratio mode was checked the legs of the OCO were multiplied as well to match the initial order.
As OCO orders fill, quantities of the remaining OCO orders are reduced appropriately until the multi-exit OCO completes with a net zero position. Quantities of OCO orders are reduced furthest from the trigger order fill price first. It is possible to exit the position by filling both stop and limit OCO orders.