How quickly does a trade occur?
Whether you trade through online brokerage accounts or call your broker to place a trade, the same process takes place. The execution of a trade execution may seem instantaneous, but it does take time. Prices change quickly and since price quotes are only for a specific number of shares, an investor may not necessarily receive the price he saw on the screen or their broker quoted. No regulations require a trade to be executed within a set period of time, but most firms boast about their speed of execution in order to attract customers, and they need to keep to that promise of loose customers.
