Who this is for — Foundational concept: what happens when you press buy or sell, before any setup or indicator.
Buy and sell are the two directions you use to interact with the market via an order. They do not imply a forecast — only a change in exposure to price.
In plain terms — Buy does not mean «it will rise». It means taking bullish exposure (or closing a bearish position).
Operational meaning
| Action | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Buy | |
| Sell | Open short or close long |
Buttons send messages to the matching engine or market maker. Context (spot, futures, CFD) changes margin and settlement rules, not buy/sell logic.
Typical mistake — Confusing «I bought» with «the market must rise» — direction is exposure, not P&L guarantee.
Example — You are short a future: a **buy** closes the position (reduce-only), not necessarily opening a new long — depends on order type and venue.
Summary card
- What it is: two elementary order directions.
- What changes: opens/closes exposure, not strategy.
- Quick check: do I know what buy/sell does on my instrument?