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Essential

Fill (Execution)

The price and size your broker actually executed, which is what counts, not what you clicked.

Quick answer

A fill is the actual executed price and size of your order. Slippage, partials and requotes live between your click and the fill.

Definition

A fill is the executed result of an order: price, size and time stamped by the venue. Fills differ from requested prices through slippage, partial fills and requotes, especially in fast markets. Professionals judge brokers on fill quality statistics, not advertised spreads.

How It Works

  • Market orders fill instantly at available prices
  • Limits fill only at your price or better
  • Large orders may fill in partial pieces

Trading Tips

1

Log requested versus filled prices to audit your broker

2

Expect partial fills on size in thin books

3

Screenshot disputed fills immediately with ticket numbers

Fill (Execution) Example

Say you buy 3 lots with a market order and receive 1 lot at 1.0850 plus 2 lots at 1.0851. That split is a partial fill walking thin depth. The average costs a third of a pip more than the screen showed.

How Traders Use Fill (Execution)

Break size into clips when books are thin to control fill quality. Review fill stats monthly: persistent slippage against you is a venue problem wearing a market costume.

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