Entry Price
Also known as: entry level, entry
What is it?
The entry price is the exact price at which a signal wants you to open your trade. It is the starting line of the position. There are two common ways to act on it. You can enter "at market," meaning you take whatever price is available right now, which is fast and used when a move is happening quickly.
Or you can place a "pending order," which is an instruction to your broker to open the trade automatically only when price reaches the stated level, which is useful when you expect price to pull back to that point first. The entry price matters because it is the reference point that everything else is measured from. Your stop loss and your take profit are both distances away from the entry, so where you actually get in shapes how much you risk and how much you can gain. In real trading your filled price is rarely identical to the quoted entry; tiny differences happen because prices move in the split second between deciding and executing (this small gap is called slippage).
A few points worse on entry might sound trivial, but it shifts both your risk and your reward on every single trade, and that adds up across many trades. For a beginner the practical takeaway is simple: aim to enter as close to the quoted level as you reasonably can, and if price has already run well past it, it is often wiser to wait for the next setup than to chase.
Why it matters: The gap between the signal's entry and your actual fill is where slippage and latency quietly eat into results, so the entry is the reference point everything else is measured against.
A worse entry shifts both your risk and your reward on every trade, compounding across many positions.
Real-world example
A signal says enter EUR/USD at 1.0850; you fill at 1.0852, so you started two pips worse than planned.
How SignalBots handles it
Low-latency delivery keeps your fill close to the signal's entry across SignalBots' extension and connector surfaces.
Pro tip
Compare your average fill to the signal's stated entry over time - a consistent gap points to slow delivery or a wide spread, not bad signals.
Common pitfalls
Chasing an entry that has already moved far past the stated level instead of skipping the trade.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use a market or pending order for the entry?
Use a market order when the move is fast and the signal is fresh, so you get in immediately. Use a pending order at the stated level when you expect price to pull back to the entry before continuing.
Why did my fill price differ from the signal's entry?
Prices move in the fraction of a second between deciding and executing, and that small difference is called slippage. A faster delivery and a tighter spread keep your fill closer to the quoted entry.
How far past the entry is too far to still take the trade?
There is no fixed number, but if price has moved a large part of the distance toward the stop or target, your risk and reward are no longer what the signal intended. Skipping is often the better choice.
Does a worse entry really matter on a single trade?
On one trade the effect is small, but it shifts both your risk and your reward, and it repeats on every trade you take. Over many trades a consistent gap quietly eats into your overall results.
How can I tell if my entries are consistently slipping?
Track your actual fill against the signal's stated entry over many trades. A steady gap usually points to slow delivery or a wide spread at your broker, not to bad signals.