Why Are My Initial Take Profit and Stop Loss Canceled When Taking Partial Profit on a Bracket Order?

Fact checked by
Mike Christensen, CFOA
July 21, 2024
Taking partial profit on a bracket order cancels the original take profit and stop loss because the position size changes. To resolve this, submit new orders for the remaining position after each partial exit.

When you take a partial profit on a bracket order, it often results in the cancellation of the original take profit and stop loss orders. This happens due to the change in position size, which invalidates the original orders set for the full position.

Why It Happens

• If you enter a trade with two contracts and set a take profit and stop loss for both, those orders are based on holding the entire position.

• When you exit part of the position (e.g., sell one contract), the remaining orders (set for two contracts) no longer match your position size.

• As a result, brokers typically cancel the original take profit and stop loss orders automatically.

Solution

To avoid this, you need to place new take profit and stop loss orders after taking partial profits. Many traders write this into their Pine Script, so the system automatically resubmits these orders after each partial exit.

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