Guide · NinjaTrader 8
Click to trade on a NinjaTrader 8 chart
You can already place orders by clicking a NinjaTrader 8 chart: open Chart Trader, then use its buy and sell buttons or right-click a price for a limit or stop order. What the built-in tools do not give you is a bracket you can drag into place with the risk shown, size worked out for you, and one-key order entry. Here is how both work.
With NinjaTrader alone
How to place an order by clicking the chart in NinjaTrader 8
- Open Chart Trader from the chart toolbar. A panel docks beside the chart with the account, quantity and ATM strategy selectors.
- Market orders: press Buy Mkt or Sell Mkt. The ATM strategy you selected, if any, adds the stop and target.
- Limit and stop orders: right-click the chart at the price you want and choose the order type from the menu.
- Change an order: drag the working order, or the stop and target lines of an ATM bracket, to a new price.
The SuperDOM does the same on a price ladder, where one click on a price row places an order. NinjaTrader's Hot Keys settings let you map keys to some trading actions. For one fixed size and one bracket, this covers most click-to-trade needs.
Where it stops
What is missing
- You cannot draw the whole trade first. There is no entry, stop and target preview with the money at risk and the R:R shown before the order goes out.
- Quantity does not follow the stop. Move the stop wider and you have to work out a smaller size yourself.
- You choose limit or stop yourself, and it is easy to send a buy stop below the market by mistake.
Buy and sell buttons on the chart
One click, sized from your risk.
NTP puts a large red SELL button showing the bid and a blue BUY button showing the ask on the chart, with the spread in ticks between them. They fire on mouse-down for speed; every other NTP button fires on release.
- Order types: Market, Bid/Ask (join the book), Pullback (a limit a set number of ticks away, 8 by default, with an optional expiry), At time, Plan and Stop-limit.
- The button label follows the type: "BUY @ BID", "BUY PULLBACK", "ARM BUY".
- Collapse the panel to compact view and only the Buy and Sell controls stay on the chart.
- Optional confirmation dialog with side, quantity, symbol, risk and reward. Off by default.
Bracket order on the chart
Drag the entry, stop and target. Then place it.
Choose Plan and NTP draws an entry line, a red stop and a green target with shaded risk and reward. Drag the stop and the contracts recalculate; drag the target and the R:R updates. Press Place and the entry goes in with its stop and target as an OCO pair.
Planner details
The order type follows the line
Put a buy entry above the ask and it becomes a buy stop; below the ask, a buy limit. Sells mirror this. Add a limit line and it becomes a stop-limit. If a level is on the wrong side of the market, NTP tells you in plain words, for example that a buy stop is already below the market and should be dragged above it.
The entry tag carries the planner tools, each with a tooltip:
- Lock: keep stop and target fixed while you move the entry.
- Flip: mirror the plan from buy to sell.
- Magnet: the entry follows the ask for buys or the bid for sells.
- Stop-limit: add a limit price behind the stop, placed 25% of the stop distance back.
- Cancel level: delete the pending order if price reaches this level first; 2× the stop distance by default.
Not keen on dragging? Click a line, then click the new price. Esc cancels.
Drag stop loss on the chart
Move a live stop without a typo.
Once you are in, drag the stop or target line. NTP sends the change once, on mouse release, and refuses a move that would trigger or fill straight away. The toast confirms it: "Stop moved to" the new price.
- Position tag with P/L, R and time in trade
- BE and TS toggles for this position only
- × on the tag flattens the position
Hotkeys order entry
Shift shortcuts on the chart
With the Hotkeys property on (the default), these work while you hold Shift, the mouse is over that chart and no field is being edited:
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Shift+B / Shift+S | Place the buy or sell plan, or a quick Buy or Sell with current settings |
| Shift+C | Close all positions and pending orders on this instrument |
| Shift+E | Move the stop to break-even |
| Shift+P | Start or cancel a plan |
| Shift+1 / 2 / 3 | Put the plan's entry, stop or target at the mouse price |
| Esc | Cancel click-to-move or field editing |
Side by side
NinjaTrader built-in vs NTP
| Task | Chart Trader | NT Chart Trader Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Market buttons | Buy Mkt and Sell Mkt | Buy and Sell on mouse-down, with bid, ask and spread shown |
| Limit or stop at a price | Right-click menu | Planner picks limit, stop or stop-limit from where the entry sits |
| Bracket preview | None before sending | Entry, stop and target lines with risk, reward and R |
| Quantity | Typed or picked | Recalculated as you drag the stop |
| Pullback and timed entries | Place the limit yourself | Pullback limit N ticks from the market with expiry; entry armed for a set local time |
| Keyboard | Configurable Hot Keys | Shift shortcuts over the chart, including plan placement |
Are NTP's Buy and Sell buttons really one click?
Yes. They send the order on mouse-down rather than on release. If you want a check, turn on the Confirm orders property; the dialog then shows side, quantity, symbol, risk and reward before anything is sent. It is off by default.
Can I drag my stop loss on the chart?
Yes. Drag the stop or target line and NTP sends the change once, when you release the mouse. A move that would trigger or fill immediately is refused. You can also click a line and then click the new price.
How do I place a bracket order from the chart?
Choose Plan, drag the entry, stop and target lines where you want them, and press Place in the entry tag. The stop and target go in as an OCO pair sized to the position.
Will the hotkeys clash with NinjaTrader's own shortcuts?
NTP hotkeys only work with Shift held, the mouse over that chart and no field being edited. They can be turned off with the Hotkeys indicator property.
Do I have to choose between limit and stop orders?
No. In the planner, NTP picks the type from where you put the entry: above the ask a buy becomes a stop, below it a limit, mirrored for sells. Add a limit line and it becomes a stop-limit.
What does NTP cost?
One-time payments with no automatic renewal: $49 for 30 days, $299 for 365 days or $799 lifetime. The free 48-hour trial needs no card.
More guides
Try NTP on your chart.
48 hours, full panel, no card. Start in simulation and decide with your own settings.