# Stock purchase automation and using stop-limit? How to do this? (Investing)

**URL:** <https://community.trading212.com/t/stock-purchase-automation-and-using-stop-limit-how-to-do-this-investing/2214>\
**Category:** 🤝 Help\
**Created:** [March 5, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://community.trading212.com/t/stock-purchase-automation-and-using-stop-limit-how-to-do-this-investing/2214 "2020-03-05T22:48:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pipo](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/community.trading212.com/pipo/32/1379_2.png) [@pipo](https://community.trading212.com/u/pipo)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://community.trading212.com/t/stock-purchase-automation-and-using-stop-limit-how-to-do-this-investing/2214/1 "2020-03-05T22:48:59Z")

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Hi guys, I’ve read a similar question here but the answers are not 100% clear.

Let’s just say there’s a stock that’s currently at $100.

I would like to buy it if it reaches $90, but let’s say I’m going to a jungle for 2 days with no internet and I want to set up the purchase before I go.

So I would like to:

- Purchase the stock if it reaches $90

- However, if the stock instantly plummets when I purchase it, I would like to sell at $80.

- Otherwise keep the stock

How can this be automated?

I’m looking at the Stop Limit interface (screenshot below)

 ![image](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/uploads/trading212/original/1X/ed9a0792c3ca88cde615b1c777e227b983fd2e64.png)

Where do I put my $90 price?

And where do I put my $80 stop loss?

The first section is asking for a price **above** (why above?) the current price of $100. This will convert the order to a limit order. What exactly is this?

The second part asks about how much I would like to pay per share. I’m guessing this is where my $90 goes?

Where do I put the stop loss of $80?

And what is the point of setting a price above the current price like it’s asking me to?

I hope I’ve explained my problem clearly enough. I’d just like to automate everything in my bullet points.

I’ve also had a look at the stop section (screenshot again below) to try and understand it a bit more: _“Set the price **above** the current price that converts your order to a market order”_ So the share is $100, I can only use this feature if I want to automatically purchase the share above $100? I don’t even know why somebody would use this feature! But I’m new to this, maybe some people like to buy high sell low, who knows 🙂

 ![image](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/uploads/trading212/original/1X/b05ad3bc26cc8bffd50d0f73c0108d8d059a380f.png)

Thanks in advance 🙂

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**Author:** ![David](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/community.trading212.com/david/32/39_2.png) [@David](https://community.trading212.com/u/David)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 7:24am UTC](https://community.trading212.com/t/stock-purchase-automation-and-using-stop-limit-how-to-do-this-investing/2214/2 "2020-03-06T07:24:30Z")

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@pipo There’s currently no way to place such order as you’ve described. What the stop limit does is you set a level that when it’s reached, it triggers a limit order to buy a security for a certain price or better.

We’ll be adding additional order types in the future so we’ll probably have more complex ones that’ll do the job.

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**Author:** ![pipo](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/community.trading212.com/pipo/32/1379_2.png) [@pipo](https://community.trading212.com/u/pipo)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://community.trading212.com/t/stock-purchase-automation-and-using-stop-limit-how-to-do-this-investing/2214/3 "2020-03-06T12:13:29Z")

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Ok.

Could you explain this section if you don’t mind for the stop order (my second screenshot):

_“Set the price **above** the current price that converts your order to a market order”_

Why would somebody wait for a share to increase in value before buying? Is this function for those who catch an upwards trend?

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**Author:** ![investor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@investor](https://community.trading212.com/u/investor)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 12:33pm UTC](https://community.trading212.com/t/stock-purchase-automation-and-using-stop-limit-how-to-do-this-investing/2214/4 "2020-03-06T12:33:06Z")

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> **[What Is a Buy Stop Order and When Would You Use One?](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/buystoporder.asp)**
>
> A buy stop order directs to an order in which a market buy order is placed on a security once it hits a pre-determined strike price.

> […] The buy stop order can serve a variety of purposes with the underlying assumption that a share price that climbs to a certain height will continue to rise. […]