# Trailing Stop Buy and Buying Power

**URL:** https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/trailing-stop-buy-and-buying-power/3487
**Category:** App-Integration
**Created:** [December 1, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/trailing-stop-buy-and-buying-power/3487 "2020-12-01T16:25:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Riodda](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.alpaca.markets/riodda/32/1000_2.png) [@Riodda](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/Riodda)
#### Post date: [December 1, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/trailing-stop-buy-and-buying-power/3487/1 "2020-12-01T16:25:07Z")

</div>

Hi all, I’m playing with the traling stop orders. With trailing stop sell all seems to be working ok, but with if i have short position and I want to create a trailing stop buy the system checks if i have enough buying power, but since i have an open short position, if i match the qty of the short position the buying power should not be take in account…or i miss something?  
here is my python experimental code, any comment wellcome.

```
def alpaca_trailing_buy_order(_symbol,_qty,_trailing_pct):
    _order = api.submit_order(symbol=_symbol,qty=_qty,side='buy',type='trailing_stop',trail_percent=_trailing_pct,time_in_force='gtc')
    return _order

def alpaca_trailing_sell_order(_symbol,_qty,_trailing_pct):
    _order = api.submit_order(symbol=_symbol,qty=_qty,side='sell',type='trailing_stop',trail_percent=_trailing_pct,time_in_force='gtc')
    return _order

positions = api.list_positions()
orders = api.list_orders()

submit_trailing_order = True

for position in positions:    
    submit_trailing_order = True    
    for order in orders:
        if (order.type == 'trailing_stop') and (order.symbol == position.symbol):
            print('Trailing position already present ',position.symbol)  
            submit_trailing_order = False 
    if (position.side=='long') and (float(position.unrealized_plpc)>0.01) and (submit_trailing_order == True):
        print('Place stop sell order for per',position.symbol,position.unrealized_plpc) 
        alpaca_trailing_sell_order(position.symbol,position.qty,'0.99')
    if (position.side=='short') and (float(position.unrealized_plpc)>-0.01):
        print('Place stop buy order for ',position.symbol,position.unrealized_plpc)
        alpaca_trailing_buy_order(position.symbol,str(-1*float(position.qty)),'0.99')

```

I have a SQQQ short position open and the error i receive when i try to place a trailing stop buy is:

```
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
HTTPError Traceback (most recent call last)
H:\anaconda3\envs\plaid-ml\lib\site-packages\alpaca_trade_api\rest.py in _one_request(self, method, url, opts, retry)
    139 try:
--> 140 resp.raise_for_status()
    141 except HTTPError as http_error:

H:\anaconda3\envs\plaid-ml\lib\site-packages\requests\models.py in raise_for_status(self)
    940 if http_error_msg:
--> 941 raise HTTPError(http_error_msg, response=self)
    942 

HTTPError: 403 Client Error: Forbidden for url: https://paper-api.alpaca.markets/v2/orders

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

APIError Traceback (most recent call last)
<ipython-input-18-19d6f7d934e4> in <module>
     15 if (position.side=='short') and (float(position.unrealized_plpc)>-0.01):
     16 print('Piazzo Trailing stop buy per',position.symbol,position.unrealized_plpc)
---> 17 alpaca_trailing_buy_order(position.symbol,str(-1*float(position.qty)),'0.99')
     18 
     19 

<ipython-input-7-a081f3ce1115> in alpaca_trailing_buy_order(_symbol, _qty, _trailing_pct)
     17 
     18 def alpaca_trailing_buy_order(_symbol,_qty,_trailing_pct):
---> 19 _order = api.submit_order(symbol=_symbol,qty=_qty,side='buy',type='trailing_stop',trail_percent=_trailing_pct,time_in_force='gtc')
     20 return _order
     21 

H:\anaconda3\envs\plaid-ml\lib\site-packages\alpaca_trade_api\rest.py in submit_order(self, symbol, qty, side, type, time_in_force, limit_price, stop_price, client_order_id, extended_hours, order_class, take_profit, stop_loss, trail_price, instructions, trail_percent)
    314 if instructions is not None:
    315 params['instructions'] = instructions
--> 316 resp = self.post('/orders', params)
    317 return Order(resp)
    318 

H:\anaconda3\envs\plaid-ml\lib\site-packages\alpaca_trade_api\rest.py in post(self, path, data)
    157 
    158 def post(self, path, data=None):
--> 159 return self._request('POST', path, data)
    160 
    161 def put(self, path, data=None):

H:\anaconda3\envs\plaid-ml\lib\site-packages\alpaca_trade_api\rest.py in _request(self, method, path, data, base_url, api_version)
    117 while retry >= 0:
    118 try:
--> 119 return self._one_request(method, url, opts, retry)
    120 except RetryException:
    121 retry_wait = self._retry_wait

H:\anaconda3\envs\plaid-ml\lib\site-packages\alpaca_trade_api\rest.py in _one_request(self, method, url, opts, retry)
    146 error = resp.json()
    147 if 'code' in error:
--> 148 raise APIError(error, http_error)
    149 else:
    150 raise

APIError: insufficient buying power
```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Dan\_Whitnable\_Alpaca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.alpaca.markets/dan_whitnable_alpaca/32/1658_2.png) [@Dan\_Whitnable\_Alpaca](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/Dan_Whitnable_Alpaca)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/trailing-stop-buy-and-buying-power/3487/2 "2020-12-03T14:27:26Z")

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_“since i have an open short position, if i match the qty of the short position the buying power should not be take in account”_

This isn’t always true. There are several considerations which come into play when determining “buying power”.

When was the existing short position opened? If it was opened on the same day as the trailing stop order was placed, then it is a potential day trade. The system looks at your day trade buying power. If there isn’t enough to cover the trade then the system won’t allow the order to be placed. It assumes the worst case that the trailing stop order will fill, the trade becomes a day trade, and your account goes over your day trading buying power.

There is a bit more explanation in the [Alpaca docs.](https://alpaca.markets/docs/trading-on-alpaca/user-protections/)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Riodda](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.alpaca.markets/riodda/32/1000_2.png) [@Riodda](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/Riodda)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/trailing-stop-buy-and-buying-power/3487/3 "2020-12-04T14:49:15Z")

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Thanks Dan, actually the position was quite old, not for sure a day trade.  
the only thing i can say is that in the same day i have filled other trailing orders.