Foundations module · lesson 6 of 32

Stop and take-profit are orders, not intentions

Speak the market's language: exchange, candle, long/short, leverage, and costs — without this, the rest of the program reads like spellcasting.

3 min · 6 steps

  1. Step 1 · Stop order

    You put a stop in as an order on the exchange, not just keep it in your head.

    BTC, May 19, 2021: a long at 40 465, a 38 600 stop sits on the exchange. If price reaches it, the position closes without your click.

    entry
    40 465
    stop-market
    38 600
    click
    not needed
    BTC· 1h · May 18–19, 2021scenario · Binance candles
    20:0000:0004:0008:00entry 40 465stop 38 600
  2. Step 2 · Stop-market and stop-limit

    A stop-market guarantees the exit, not the price.

    ETH 1m, 01:06: one minute ran through both the stop and the limit. The limit inside it never filled, and price didn't come back to it within the hour.

    A market crash on Aug 5, 2024. The stop and limit are an example order on real candles. The high over the following hour was 2 472.6.

    ETH· 1m · Aug 5, 2024scenario · Binance candles
    00:4001:2601:49!stop 2 503.6limit 2 493.6
    Stop-market and stop-limitscheme
  3. Step 3 · Take-profit

    Take-profit: a limit order set in advance.

    BTC 15m: entry at 62 960, target 63 850 sits as a limit order. At 04:00 price reached it, and the profit was taken without a click.

    entry
    62 960
    take-profit
    63 850
    high 04:00
    64 133
    BTC· 15m · Sep 19–20, 2024real chart · Binance
    22:0023:4501:3003:151sweep23target 63 850entry 62 960stop 62 590
    zonesweepMSSentry
  4. Step 4 · Limit order

    A limit order may never fill.

    ETH, Oct 30, 2024: a 2 621.7 entry limit order, missed by $2.03. Price ran up to 2 684.2, without us.

    A missed trade isn't a loss. Chasing it with a market order means opening a different trade, with a different stop.

    ETH· 15m · Oct 29–30, 2024real chart · Binance
    18:0000:3003:451target 2 681.9limit 2 621.7
    zonesweepMSSlimit order
  5. Step 5 · Find it yourself

    Where did the stop-market trigger?

    BTC, May 19, 2021: the lines are the entry and stop. Tap the candle.

    Practice on the chart

    This is a Find it yourself task: tap a candle or a level, and the lesson tells you right away if you got it.

    Create an accountThis step unlocks after sign-up. Your progress is saved.
    BTC· 1h · May 19, 2021scenario · Binance candles
    00:0005:0010:0015:0020:00entry 40 465stop 38 600
  6. Step 6 · Rule

    The stop goes onto the exchange right after the entry.

    1
    entry
    2
    stop on the exchange
    3
    take-profit as a limit order
    to your Pact

    The stop sits as an order on the exchange from the moment you enter.

    A trade without a stop in the journal is a Pact break: the engine checks the “Stop” field, and your streak counts it.

Lessons in this module

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In the app, the lesson checks you on the chart, adds the rule to your Pact, and saves your progress.

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