Rohini 67611759505
Rohini 67611759505
Rohini 67611759505
Environment, Primary Market – Methods of floating new issues, Book building – Role of
primary market – Regulation of primary market, Stock exchanges in India – BSE, OTCEI ,
NSE, ISE, and Regulations of stock exchanges – Trading system in stock exchanges –SEBI.
Primary Market
In a primary market, securities are created for the first time for investors to purchase. New
securities are issued in this market through a stock exchange, enabling the government as well as
companies to raise capital.
For a transaction taking place in this market, there are three entities involved. It would include a
company, investors, and an underwriter. A company issues security in a primary market as an
initial public offering (IPO), and the sale price of such new issue is determined by a concerned
underwriter, which may or may not be a financial institution. An underwriter also facilitates and
monitors the new issue offering. Investors purchase the newly issued securities in the primary
market. Such a market is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
The entity which issues securities may be looking to expand its operations, fund other business
targets or increase its physical presence among others. Primary market example of securities
issued includes notes, bills, government bonds or corporate bonds as well as stocks of
companies.
Functions of Primary Market
The functions of such a market are manifold –
New issue offer
The primary market organises offer of a new issue which had not been traded on any other
exchange earlier. Due to this reason, it is also called a New Issue Market. Organising new issue
offers involves a detailed assessment of project viability, among other factors. The financial
arrangements for the purpose include considerations of promoters’ equity, liquidity ratio, debt-
equity ratio and requirement of foreign exchange.
Underwriting services
Underwriting is an essential aspect while offering a new issue. An underwriter’s role in a
primary marketplace includes purchasing unsold shares if it cannot manage to sell the required
number of shares to the public. A financial institution may act as an underwriter, earning a
commission on underwriting.
Investors rely on underwriters for determining whether undertaking the risk would be worth its
returns. It may so thus happen that an underwriter ends up buying all the IPO issue, and
subsequently selling it to investors.
Distribution of new issue
A new issue is also distributed in a primary marketing sphere. Such distribution is initiated with
a new prospectus issue. It invites the public at large to buy a new issue and provides detailed
information on the company, issue, and involved underwriters.
Types of Primary Market Issuance
After the issuance of securities, investors can purchase such securities in various ways. There are
5 types of primary market issues.
Public issue
Public issue is the most common method of issuing securities of a company to the public at large.
It is mainly done via Initial Public Offering (IPO) resulting in companies raising funds from the
capital market. These securities are listed in the stock exchanges for trading.
A privately held company converts into a publicly-traded company when its shares are offered to
the public initially through IPO. Such public offer allows a company to raise funds for expansion
of business, improving infrastructure, and repay its debts, among others. Trading in an open
market also increases a company’s liquidity and provides a scope for issuance of more shares in
raising further capital for business.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India is the regulatory body that monitors IPO. As per its
guidelines, a requisite due enquiry is conducted for a company’s authenticity, and the company is
required to mention its necessary details in the prospectus for a public issue.
Private placement
When a company offers its securities to a small group of investors, it is called private placement.
Such securities may be bonds, stocks or other securities, and the investors can be both individual
and institutional.
Private placements are easier to issue than initial public offerings as the regulatory stipulations
are significantly less. It also incurs reduced cost and time, and the company can remain private.
Such issuance is suitable for start-ups or companies which are in their early stages. The company
may place this issuance to an investment bank or a hedge fund or place before ultra-high net
worth individuals (HNIs) to raise capital.
Preferential issue
A preferential issue is one of the quickest methods available to companies for raising capital.
Both listed and unlisted companies can issue shares or convertible securities to a select group of
investors. However, the preferential issue is neither a public issue nor a rights issue. The
shareholders in possession of preference shares stand to receive the dividend before the ordinary
shareholders are paid.
Qualified institutional placement
Qualified institutional placement is another kind of private placement where a listed company
issues securities in the form of equity shares or partly or wholly convertible debentures apart
from such warrants convertible to equity shares and purchased by a Qualified Institutional Buyer
(QIB).
QIBs are primarily such investors who have the requisite financial knowledge and expertise to
invest in the capital market. Some QIBs are –
• Foreign Institutional Investors registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of
India.
• Foreign Venture Capital Investors.
• Alternate Investment Funds.
• Mutual Funds.
• Public Financial Institutions.
• Insurers.
• Scheduled Commercial Banks.
• Pension Funds.
Issuance of qualified institutional placement is simpler than preferential allotment as the former
does not attract standard procedural regulations like submitting pre-issue filings to SEBI. The
process thus becomes much easier and less time-consuming.
Rights and bonus issues
Another issuance in the primary market is rights and bonus issue, in which the company issues
securities to existing investors by offering them to purchase more securities at a predetermined
price (in case of rights issue) or avail allotment of additional free shares (in case of bonus issue).
For rights issues, investors retain the choice of buying stocks at discounted prices within a
stipulated period. Rights issue enhances control of existing shareholders of the company, and
also there are no costs involved in the issuance of these kinds of shares. For bonus issues, stocks
are issued by a company as a gift to its existing shareholders. However, the issuance of bonus
shares does not infuse fresh capital.
According to Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) guidelines, “Book building is a
process undertaken by which a demand for the securities proposed to be issued by a body
corporate is elicited and built up and the price for such securities is assessed for the
determination of the quantum of such securities to be issued by means of a notice, circular,
advertisement, document or information memoranda or offer document."
Book building is a process for efficient price discovery of shares. Under it, the company offering
the shares fixes a price range, depending on an ascertained market valuation, which it estimates
is the accurate value of the business. A floor, or a minimum price, at which the company wants
to sell its shares and a maximum price or cap price is mentioned. The difference between the two
cannot be more than 20%. For instance, if the floor price is 250, upper cap cannot be more than
300.
During the IPO period, bids are received from investors at various prices, which are above or
equal to the floor price. Say, a company issues 100,000 shares at a price band of 250-300.
Applications for 10,000 shares are received at 250; 50,000 at 275; and for 60,000 shares at 300.
After the bid window closes, the final price—also known as cut-off price—is determined based
on the proportion of application received at each price. While applying, if a retail investor is not
sure of the price at which to bid, she should use the cut-off option. Choosing this option will
ensure that her application is considered valid at whatever price is determined in the process. But
in such cases, the payment or application money has to be deposited based on the cap price. In
the above example, an investor can choose the cut-off price and pay the application amount
based on upper cap, i.e 300. If the cut-off price is lower than the cap price, the investor gets the
necessary refund or the money gets adjusted with any due payment. In the above example, to
issue all 100,000 shares, minimum price will be 275, because applications for 50,000 and 60,000
shares (a total of 110,000) were received for or above 275 and above. The company will refund
money to those who applied for shares at a bid price below 275. Those who have applied at 300
will also get the refund. Furthermore, against 100,000 shares, 110,000 shares were applied for at
the cut-off price of 275, so, the company will issue shares in the 10:11 ratio. That means that an
investor who applied for 11 shares, will get 10 shares.
Also, there was a high demand for the stock in the primary market, which led to
the pricing of Facebook’s stock to be fixed at $38 for each share as determined by
the underwriters. The valuation of the stock eventually amounted to $104 billion,
highest for a newly formed public company.
Coal India The biggest IPO undertaken in India was by Coal India in 2010, which raised Rs.
15,200 Crore. The shares were listed at Rs. 287.75 and eventually increased to
Rs.340. The company offered a 5% discount on the final IPO price to retail
investors, along with the subsidiaries and employees of the company.
Furthermore, the Union Budget 2020-2021 also proposed the sale of a part of the
government’s stake in Life Insurance Corporation. Even a 10% stake sale may fetch Rs.
80,000 crore to the government. Listing of the insurer will thus make it the biggest initial
public offer in India surpassing Coal India IPO.
Advantages of Primary Market
1. Companies can raise capital at relatively low cost, and the securities so issued in the
primary market provide high liquidity as the same can be sold in the secondary market
almost immediately.
2. The primary market is an important source for mobilisation of savings in an economy.
Funds are mobilised from commoners for investing in other channels. It leads to
monetary resources being put into investment options.
3. Chances of price manipulation in the primary market are considerably less when
compared to the secondary market. Such manipulation usually occurs by deflating or
inflating a security price, thereby deliberately interfering with fair and free operations of
the market.
4. The primary market acts as a potential avenue for diversification to cut down on risk. It
enables an investor to allocate his/her investment across different categories involving
multiple financial instruments and industries.
5. It is not subject to any market fluctuations. The prices of stocks are determined before an
initial public offering, and investors know the actual amount they will have to invest.
Disadvantages of Primary Market
1. There may be limited information for an investor to access before investment in an IPO
since unlisted companies do not fall under the purview of regulatory and disclosure
requirements of the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
2. Each stock is exposed to varying degrees of risk, but there is no historical trading data in
a primary market for analysing IPO shares because the company is offering its shares to
the public for the first time through an initial public offering.
3. In some cases, it may not be favourable for small investors. If a share is oversubscribed,
small investors may not receive share allocation.
4. With this information regarding the primary market, individuals can make a well-
thought-out decision regarding investment in the market. It also makes way for the
creation of an investment portfolio with diversified risk.
Regulations of Primary Market
Securities and Exchange Board Of India [SEBI] is a regulator of securities market in
India. Initially, it was formed for the purpose of observing the activities afterward in May 1992,
Government of India granted legal status to SEBI.
Functions Of Primary Market Under SEBI
SEBI in one of the important body which regulates both Primary as well as Secondary
Market. SEBI encourages both growth and development of the security market and act as a
watchdog.
Secondary Market
What is the Secondary Market?
A secondary market is a platform wherein the shares of companies are traded among
investors. It means that investors can freely buy and sell shares without the intervention of the
issuing company. In these transactions among investors, the issuing company does not
participate in income generation, and share valuation is rather based on its performance in the
market. Income in this market is thus generated via the sale of the shares from one investor to
another.
Some of the entities that are functional in a secondary market include –
• Retail investors.
• Advisory service providers and brokers comprising commission brokers and security
dealers, among others.
• Financial intermediaries including non-banking financial companies, insurance
companies, banks and mutual funds.
Different Instruments in the Secondary Market
The instruments traded in a secondary market consist of fixed income instruments, variable
income instruments, and hybrid instruments.
Fixed income instruments
Fixed income instruments are primarily debt instruments ensuring a regular form of payment
such as interests, and the principal is repaid on maturity. Examples of fixed income securities are
– debentures, bonds, and preference shares.
Debentures are unsecured debt instruments, i.e., not secured by collateral. Returns generated
from debentures are thus dependent on the issuer’s credibility.
As for bonds, they are essentially a contract between two parties, whereby a government or
company issues these financial instruments. As investors buy these bonds, it allows the issuing
entity to secure a large amount of funds this way. Investors are paid interests at fixed intervals,
and the principal is repaid on maturity.
Stock exchanges are centralised platforms where securities trading take place, sans any
contact between the buyer and the seller. National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock
Exchange (BSE) are examples of such platforms.
Transactions in stock exchanges are subjected to stringent regulations in securities trading. A
stock exchange itself acts as a guarantor, and the counterparty risk is almost non-existent. Such a
safety net is obtained via a higher transaction cost being levied on investments in the form of
commission and exchange fees.
Over-the-counter (OTC) market
Over-the-counter markets are decentralised, comprising participants engaging in trading
among themselves. OTC markets retain higher counterparty risks in the absence of regulatory
oversight, with the parties directly dealing with each other. Foreign exchange market (FOREX)
is an example of an over-the-counter market.
In an OTC market, there exists tremendous competition in acquiring higher volume. Due to
this factor, the securities’ price differs from one seller to another.
Apart from the stock exchange and OTC market, other types of secondary market include
auction market and dealer market.
The former is essentially a platform for buyers and sellers to arrive at an understanding of the
rate at which the securities are to be traded. The information related to pricing is put out in the
public domain, including the bidding price of the offer.
Dealer market is another type of secondary market in which various dealers indicate prices of
specific securities for a transaction. Foreign exchange trade and bonds are traded primarily in a
dealer market.
Examples of Secondary Market Transactions
❖ Secondary market transactions provide liquidity to all kinds of investors. Due to high
volume transactions, their costs are substantially reduced. Few secondary market
examples related to transactions of securities are as follows.
❖ In a secondary market, investors enter into a transaction of securities with other investors,
and not the issuer. If an investor wants to buy Larsen & Toubro stocks, it will have to be
purchased from another investor who owns such shares and not from L&T directly. The
company will thus not be involved in the transaction.
❖ Individual and corporate investors, along with investment banks, engage in the buying
and selling of bonds and mutual funds in a secondary market.
Advantages of Secondary Market
a) Investors can ease their liquidity problems in a secondary market conveniently. Like, an
investor in need of liquid cash can sell the shares held quite easily as a large number of
buyers are present in the secondary market.
b) The secondary market indicates a benchmark for fair valuation of a particular company.
c) Price adjustments of securities in a secondary market takes place within a short span in
tune with the availability of new information about the company.
d) Investor’s funds remain relatively safe due to heavy regulations governing a secondary
stock market. The regulations are stringent as the market is a source of liquidity and
capital formation for both investors and companies.
e) Mobilisation of savings becomes easier as investors’ money is held in the form of
securities.
As for the platform provided by a secondary market, it facilitates stock trading and also
enables converting securities into cash. Continuous trading in a secondary market also increases
the liquidity of traded assets. Investors are thus encouraged to undertake investments in financial
instruments available in secondary markets for substantial corpus creation. It is ideal to take the
assistance of fund managers to make the most of investment in a volatile market scenario.
Stock Exchanges in India
When we talk of Indian stock exchanges, most of the investing population have heard of only
two stock exchanges in India – Bombay stock exchange (BSE) and National stock exchange
(NSE).
However, the list of Indian stock exchanges is bigger than just two names.
A stock exchange is a place or platform which hosts a market where buyers and sellers come
together to trade stocks during specific hours of business days.
BSE is an Indian stock exchange located at Dalal Street, Mumbai and operates with a vision of
to “Emerge as the premier Indian stock exchange with best-in-class global practice in
technology, products innovation, and customer service.”
It is one of the two principal large stock exchanges of India and was founded by Mr. Premchand
Roychand, famously known as the Cotton King, the Bullion King or the Big Bull.
He was one of the most influential Indian businessmen of the 19th century and made a fortune in
the stock-broking business.
Established in 1875, BSE is the oldest and first stock exchange of Asia and was formerly known
by the name of –The Native Share & Stock Brokers Association.
But the story of BSE starts back in the 1850s when 22 stockbrokers would gather under banyan
trees in front of Mumbai’s Town Hall. Location of these meetings changed multiple times to
accommodate an increasing number of brokers.
In the year 1986, Sensex was introduced, as the first equity index to provide a base for
identifying the top 30 trading companies of the exchange, in more than 10 sectors.
Apart from Sensex, other important indices of BSE are BSE 100, BSE 200, BSE 500, BSE
MIDCAP, BSE SMLCAP, BSE PSU, BSE Auto, BSE Pharma, BSE FMCG, BSE Metal, etc.
As of April 2018, BSE has an overall market capitalization of over $4.9 trillion, which makes it
the 10th largest stock exchange marketplace in the world.
It also offers varied services such as market data services, risk management, CDSL (Central
Depository Services Limited) depository services, etc.
NSE is the youngest stock exchange of India which came into picture in the year 1992 and
operates with a vision, “To continue to be a leader, establish a global presence, and facilitate the
financial well-being of people.”
In 1992, for the very first time in India, NSE introduced the advanced electronic trading system
which removed the paper-based settlement system from trading and offered an easy trading
facility.
One year later, in the year 1993, NSE was set up as a tax paying company, which later on
registered itself as a Stock Exchange under the Securities Contract Regulation Act.
In the year 1995, National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) was formed to provide
depository services to the investors.
NSDL allows investors and traders to securely hold and transfer their stocks electronically along
with this, it also allows investors to hold and trade in as few as one share or one bond.
Nifty 50 the popular benchmark index in the Indian stock market, was introduced by NSE in the
same year. Nifty lists out top 50 companies which traded on the NSE stock exchange market.
CSE is a regional stock exchange (RSE) located at the Lyons Range, Kolkata and is the second
oldest stock exchange in South East Asia.
In the year 1980, it was granted permanent recognition by the Government of India under the
relevant provisions of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956.
While nearly 20 regional stock exchanges have voluntarily exited in the face of SEBI’s stringent
regulations against RSEs, CSE continues to fight a lone battle.
MSE was recognized by SEBI on 16 September 2008 and is valid till 15 September 2019.
MSE offers a hi-tech platform to trade in the capital market, futures & options, currency
derivatives, and debt market segments of the Indian market.
It was recognized by SEBI on 16th September 2008 and is valid till 15th September 2019.
Shareholders of MSE include Indian public sector banks, private sector banks, investors and
domestic financial institutions which are subjected to CAG Audit.
It has come out with a “Manifesto of Change”, which is a roadmap of what the stock exchange
intends to achieve in terms of driving market development and inclusive growth over the next 10
years.
Opened in January 2017, India INX is India’s first international stock exchange.
It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and is located at the
International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), GIFT City in Gujarat.
It is claimed to be the world’s most advanced technological platform with a turn-around time of
4 microseconds which operates 22 hours a day and six days a week.
Because of these timings, international investors and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) can trade
from anywhere across the globe at their preferred timings.
Also, India INX launched Global Securities Market, India’s first international primary market
platform that connects global investors with Indian and foreign issuers.
NSE IFSC Limited (NSE International Exchange) incorporated on 29th November 2016, is a
wholly owned subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and is located at the
International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), GIFT City in Gujarat.
NSE IFSC Limited has been launched to grow the financial market as well as expected to bring
capital into India.
It is permitted to offer trading in securities in any currency other than the Indian rupee.
NSE IFSC Limited conducts 16 hours of daily trading, which it intends to gradually expand in
line with market feedback. Currently, there are two trading sessions, the first between 8 am and 5
pm and the second between 5.30 pm and 11.30 pm.
There are 23 stock exchanges in India. Among them, two are national level stock exchanges
namely BSE and NSE. The rest 21 are Regional Stock Exchanges (RSEs).
Due to stringent norms introduced by SEBI, 20 RSEs in the country opted to exit the business.
Here is a list:
Some companies may have their shares listed on BSE and not on NSE. For those companies,
there is no choice of stock exchange requirement.
However, if any company’s share is listed on more than one exchange, it depends on the
investor’s choice.
BSE and NSE are the most popular stock exchanges in India as they operate at a national level.
Stock exchanges are one of the most important constituents of capital market in any country.
Currently, only a few percentage of the Indian household saving invests in the domestic stock
market, but with GDP growing more than 7% annually and a stable financial market ahead, it is
estimated that more Indians will start investing.
The SEBI Act enumerates the powers with respect to regulating the stock exchange. The act has
conferred a wide variety of powers to SEBI.
SEBI Regulations
Some of the most important powers of SEBI with respect to regulating the Indian
stock market are listed below:
SEBI has the authority to specify rules and regulations to control the stock exchange. For
example, the timings i.e. opening (9.15 am) and closing (3.30 pm) time of the market has been
set by SEBI, and it retains the right to change the timing if required.
Every dealer or broker requires a prior approval and license from SEBI to start distributing
securities to investors. It also reserves the right to withhold or cancel the license of brokers and
dealers not adhering to guidelines.
The regulating body is also responsible for the performances of various stock exchanges and
bringing transparency in their functioning.
Some companies try to manipulate stocks and buy a majority stake in other companies with an
intention of a take-over. SEBI controls and prohibits such movements if it is not in the interest of
the company.
While SEBI has laid down specific guidelines that promote fair trade practices, many companies
occasionally undertake activities that are not healthy for the market. SEBI has the power to
prohibit such activities and take action against the parties involved in such a trade. Penalties may
range from Rs 25 crores or 3 times the profits made out of such failure, whichever is higher.
A number of acts / activities have been identified and declared to be punishable by SEBI. The
same has been mentioned under various sections of the Act.
The penalty may range from Rs 1 lac per day to Rs 1 crore depending on the type of default or
failure.
Insider Trading
The penalty can be very heavy is such cases going upto Rs 25 crores or thrice the profit made out
of such insider trading activity, whichever is higher.
1. Disclose his total shareholding in a corporate body before acquiring further shares of the
corporate body, or
2. Makes a public announcement so are to acquire shares at a certain price, or
3. Makes a public offer by sending an offer letter to the shareholder of the concerned
corporate, or
4. Makes payment of consideration to shareholders who sold their shares pursuant to the
offer letter as mentioned earlier.
Here again, the penalty can be very heavy ranging from Rs 25 crores or thrice the profit made
out of such Non-Disclosure activity, whichever is higher .
The Act has also specified the penalty for such instances wherein no specific or separate penalty
has been provided. The penalty in such cases may go upto Rs 1 crore.
Broadly, for the purpose of clarity on regulatory aspects and other functions of the SEBI, one can
divide the functions of SEBI into three parts:
Protective Functions:
Developmental Functions:
Conclusion
The stock market as mentioned earlier is a barometer of the state of the economy for a country. It
indicates the direction, the growth and overall health of the economy. All this is reflected on a
real time basis, in the most transparent & non-partisan manner, strictly on the basis of merits.
Therefore regulating the performance and activities of the stock market, so that same may be
conducted in an orderly manner, is of critical importance. The SEBI Act and the provisions
incorporated in the Act are all a measure of the importance that has been placed on the orderly
conduct of the stock market. Any violations are to be dealt with in a strict manner along with the
provision of large and stringent penalties.
Trading System
Trading Mechanism
Trading at both the exchanges takes place through an open electronic limit order book in which
order matching is done by the trading computer.3 There are no market makers and the entire
process is order-driven, which means that market orders placed by investors are automatically
matched with the best limit orders. As a result, buyers and sellers remain anonymous.
The advantage of an order-driven market is that it brings more transparency by displaying all buy
and sell orders in the trading system. However, in the absence of market makers, there is no
guarantee that orders will be executed.
All orders in the trading system need to be placed through brokers, many of which provide an
online trading facility to retail customers. Institutional investors can also take advantage of the
direct market access (DMA) option in which they use trading terminals provided by brokers for
placing orders directly into the stock market trading system.
Equity spot markets follow a T+2 rolling settlement.4 5 This means that any trade taking place
on Monday gets settled by Wednesday. All trading on stock exchanges takes place between 9:55
a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Indian Standard Time (+ 5.5 hours GMT), Monday through Friday. Delivery
of shares must be made in dematerialized form, and each exchange has its own clearing house,
which assumes all settlement risk by serving as a central counterparty.
1. Day Trading
Day trading is perhaps the most well-known active trading style. It's often considered a
pseudonym for active trading itself. Day trading, as its name implies, is the method of buying
and selling securities within the same day. Positions are closed out within the same day they are
taken, and no position is held overnight. Traditionally, day trading is done by professional
traders, such as specialists or market makers. However, electronic trading has opened up this
practice to novice traders.
2. Position Trading
Some actually consider position trading to be a buy-and-hold strategy and not active trading.
However, position trading, when done by an advanced trader, can be a form of active trading.
Position trading uses longer term charts – anywhere from daily to monthly – in combination with
other methods to determine the trend of the current market direction. This type of trade may last
for several days to several weeks and sometimes longer, depending on the trend.
Trend traders look for successive higher highs or lower highs to determine the trend of a
security. By jumping on and riding the "wave," trend traders aim to benefit from both the up and
downside of market movements. Trend traders look to determine the direction of the market, but
they do not try to forecast any price levels. Typically, trend traders jump on the trend after it has
established itself, and when the trend breaks, they usually exit the position. This means that in
periods of high market volatility, trend trading is more difficult and its positions are generally
reduced.
3. Swing Trading
When a trend breaks, swing traders typically get in the game. At the end of a trend, there is
usually some price volatility as the new trend tries to establish itself. Swing traders buy or sell as
that price volatility sets in. Swing trades are usually held for more than a day but for a shorter
time than trend trades. Swing traders often create a set of trading rules based on technical or
fundamental analysis.
These trading rules or algorithms are designed to identify when to buy and sell a security. While
a swing-trading algorithm does not have to be exact and predict the peak or valley of a price
move, it does need a market that moves in one direction or another. A range-bound or sideways
market is a risk for swing traders.
4. Scalping
Scalping is one of the quickest strategies employed by active traders. It includes exploiting
various price gaps caused by bid-ask spreads and order flows. The strategy generally works by
making the spread or buying at the bid price and selling at the ask price to receive the difference
between the two price points. Scalpers attempt to hold their positions for a short period, thus
decreasing the risk associated with the strategy.
Additionally, a scalper does not try to exploit large moves or move high volumes. Rather, they
try to take advantage of small moves that occur frequently and move smaller volumes more
often. Since the level of profits per trade is small, scalpers look for more liquid markets to
increase the frequency of their trades. And unlike swing traders, scalpers like quiet markets that
aren't prone to sudden price movements so they can potentially make the spread repeatedly on
the same bid/ask prices.
The Futures and Options Trading System provides a fully automated trading environment for
screen-based, floor-less trading on a nationwide basis and an online monitoring and surveillance
mechanism. The system supports an order driven market and provides complete transparency of
trading operations.
Orders, as and when they are received, are first time stamped and then immediately processed for
potential match. If a match is not found, then the orders are stored in different 'books'. Orders are
stored in price-time priority in various books in the following sequence:
• Best Price
• Within Price, by time priority.
The best buy order will match with the best sell order. An order may match partially with another
order resulting in multiple trades. For order matching, the best buy order is the one with highest
price and the best sell order is the one with lowest price. This is because the computer views all
buy orders available from the point of view of a seller and all sell orders from the point of view
of the buyers in the market. So, of all buy orders available in the market at any point of time, a
seller would obviously like to sell at the highest possible buy price that is offered. Hence, the
best buy order is the order with highest price and vice-versa.
Members can pro actively enter orders in the system which will be displayed in the system till
the full quantity is matched by one or more of counter-orders and result into trade(s).
Alternatively members may be reactive and put in orders that match with existing orders in the
system. Orders lying unmatched in the system are 'passive' orders and orders that come in to
match the existing orders are called 'active' orders. Orders are always matched at the passive
order price. This ensures that the earlier orders get priority over the orders that come in later.
Order Conditions
A Trading Member can enter various types of orders depending upon his/her requirements.
These conditions are broadly classified into 2 categories: time related conditions and price-
related conditions.
Time Conditions
DAY - A Day order, as the name suggests, is an order which is valid for the day on which it is
entered. If the order is not matched during the day, the order gets cancelled automatically at the
end of the trading day.
IOC - An Immediate or Cancel (IOC) order allows a Trading Member to buy or sell a security as
soon as the order is released into the market, failing which the order will be removed from the
market. Partial match is possible for the order, and the unmatched portion of the order is
cancelled immediately.
Price Conditions
Limit Price/Order - An order that allows the price to be specified while entering the order into
the system.
Market Price/Order - An order to buy or sell securities at the best price obtainable at the time of
entering the order.
Stop Loss (SL) Price/Order - The one that allows the Trading Member to place an order which
gets activated only when the market price of the relevant security reaches or crosses a threshold
price. Until then the order does not enter the market.
A sell order in the Stop Loss book gets triggered when the last traded price in the normal market
reaches or falls below the trigger price of the order. A buy order in the Stop Loss book gets
triggered when the last traded price in the normal market reaches or exceeds the trigger price of
the order.
E.g. If for stop loss buy order, the trigger is 93.00, the limit price is 95.00 and the market (last
traded) price is 90.00, then this order is released into the system once the market price reaches or
exceeds 93.00. This order is added to the regular lot book with time of triggering as the time
stamp, as a limit order of 95.00