In today’s fast-moving markets, timing and efficiency can make all the difference, whether you’re diversifying a portfolio, capitalizing on market opportunities, or managing risk across several positions. Multi-trade lets you submit multiple buy or sell orders in one batch across stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds (note: it’s not available for options, bonds, or short positions). For buy orders, you can add to positions you already own, helping streamline portfolio updates and reduce the need to enter trades individually. Here’s how it works.
How to buy shares proportionally
Proportional trading makes it easy to invest or withdraw a specific dollar amount across your eligible holdings without having to calculate the amount for each trade yourself. The amount is automatically distributed among your investments based on how your portfolio is currently allocated. You can choose to trade across all eligible positions or focus on a specific asset class, such as stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds. To do this at Fidelity:
1. Start by logging in to your Fidelity account via Fidelity.com.
2. Select Trade from the top navigation bar and choose Multi-trade from the drop-down menu.
3. Select the account you want to trade from, then Buy from the Action drop-down menu.
4. In the Multi-trade ticket, turn on the Buy proportionally toggle under Eligible positions to invest a set total dollar amount across your existing eligible holdings. This can help maintain your current investment allocation.
5. Type in an Amount to buy and select Apply.
6. Select Preview order to review your selections.
7. If your selections look correct, go ahead and hit Place order.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Securities that aren’t eligible for proportional trading—options, bonds, and short positions—aren’t included in the calculation.
- Once proportional trading is turned on, you won’t be able to manually adjust the dollar allocation for a specific position.
- Proportional trading follows your current allocation and does not rebalance your account. (Rebalancing is the process of bringing your portfolio in line with your target allocation.)
- Use caution when placing market orders, as security prices can change quickly. In volatile markets, consider using limit orders. Also keep in mind that if you have limited assets available for payment, account assets may be liquidated to cover transactions.
How to custom buy shares
Want more control over your allocations? With Custom buy, you can specify the number of shares or dollar amount for each position and submit all purchases in one transaction. Follow steps 1–3 above, then:
1. Confirm Buy proportionally is toggled off.
2. Under the Amount column enter the Quantity—either the number of shares you’d like to buy or the dollar amount you’d like to invest. Then select Shares or Dollars from the drop-down next to Quantity to match your Amount entry.
3. Select Preview order to review your selections.
4. If your selections look correct, go ahead and hit Place order.
How to sell multiple positions at one time
You also have the option to sell multiple positions at once. To do so, follow the same steps after logging in, and instead of selecting Buy under the Action drop-down, choose Sell. You may sell positions proportionally or in custom amounts.
You’re ready to start trading
Now that you know how to place multiple trades at a time, you can better streamline your trading strategy, spend less time entering orders, and more time focusing on your investment goals.