"To err is human; to forgive, divine," says English poet Alexander Pope. Perhaps he had stock brokers in mind. Well, probably not, but they do make mistakes. For instance, you might receive a cancellation notice on a trade. This document will explain that there was an error made on some trade and detail what is being done to correct it.
As just a couple of examples, let's say Dick Doright places an order with his broker Joe Trader to buy 400 shares of Get It Right Inc. Joe is in a big hurry that day and mistakenly buys Get it Wrong Inc. Dick will receive a cancellation notice describing the error and Joe will then place the correct order. If the price of Get It Right has gone up in the meantime, Joe Trader will have to eat the difference between that and the original order.
Or let's say Joe Trader continues to have a bad day and purchases 1,000 shares of a stock for Sam Doright, instead of his requested 900. Joe will have to issue the cancellation and sell the extra 100 shares at his own expense.
Since errors are common even in the electronic age, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) established rules in 2009 requiring that reviews of trades must take place within 30 minutes of the trade and be corrected within 30 minutes of the review process.
Related or Semi-related Video
Finance: What are At-the-Close Order and...24 Views
Finance a la shmoop.. What are at the close order and at the opening orders
Well simply put they're a way of buying and selling stocks and bonds and [Shmoop video on PC monitor]
they're really a hybrid form of a limit order only instead of limiting the order
of a hundred shares of Mickey D's at 45 bucks or better the "limit"
is time-based that is it is placed a minute or less from the close of the
market like 3:59 p.m. New York time or the open of the market like 9:31 a.m. New
York time got it so why would someone do this kind of limit order well if a [Man discussing limit order]
company that day before had printed what looked like a really good quarter but
upon deep inspection the investor who owned the shares thought otherwise and [Man inspecting company folder]
you know wanted to dump them well then that investor would want to take
advantage of a high opening print and just sell it whatever the price was a
minute or two after the open making the bet that the stock would then trade down
after bigger smarter better analysis was published on the stock itself and then
everyone else went to dump it - so what about an at the close order well kind
of inverse of the same thing here a company's quarter will be announced at [4:28pm shown on digital clock]
4:30 p.m. New York time tons of excitement leading up to it so
"everyone" wants to be long the stock ahead of earnings but you think
earnings will disappoint like you know buy the rumor sell the actual news kind
of vibe so you want to hold the stock until the last minute that day and then
you just give the guidance to sell the stock that last minute of trading or at [Investor sells stock to market]
the close and you're out and now we have arrived at the close of this video... Adios! [Man waving on stage]
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