Good This Week (GTW): What It Means and How It Works

What is a GTW order?

A Good This Week (GTW) order is a trading instruction that remains active until the end of the current trading week. If it is not executed before the close of the trading week, the order is automatically canceled.

Key points

• GTW orders expire at the end of the trading week they are placed.
• They are typically added as a contingency to limit or stop orders.
• GTW orders are less common on discount broker platforms and are more often offered by full‑service brokers.
• More common alternatives include market orders, limit orders, and Good‑Til‑Canceled (GTC) orders.

How GTW compares to other order types

• Market order: Executes immediately at the best available price. Good for fast execution but offers no price control.
• Limit order: Executes only at a specified price or better. Gives price control but may not fill.
• GTW (contingent on limit/stop): Stays active until week’s end, combining multi‑day availability with a defined expiration.
• GTC: Remains active until filled or explicitly canceled, with no built‑in expiration.

When investors use GTW

GTW can be useful when you want an order to remain active for a short, defined period—longer than a single trading day but not indefinitely. Examples include:
* Positioning before an anticipated event expected within the same week (earnings, product announcements).
* Trying to capture a price move that may occur later in the week but wanting the order to lapse if it doesn’t happen.

Practical example

Imagine it’s Wednesday and you expect positive news on Monday that will boost a stock’s price. You place a GTW limit order to buy before the end of Friday, so the order remains live through the week but will cancel automatically if not filled. If the order isn’t executed and you forget to reenter it, you could miss the next week’s move.

Benefits and risks

Benefits:
* Short, automatic expiration avoids leaving an unattended order active indefinitely.
* Provides a middle ground between intraday orders and long‑duration orders.

Risks:
* Broker availability: Not all brokers support GTW.
* Missed opportunities if the order cancels and you forget to replace it.
* Execution uncertainty: Like any limit or stop order, a GTW order may remain unfilled.
* Market events after expiration can make the order out of sync with new information.

Tips for using GTW effectively

• Confirm with your broker whether GTW orders are available and how they handle week definition (calendar week vs. trading week).
• Combine GTW with limit prices to control execution price.
• Set a calendar reminder to review the order before it expires.
• Consider a GTC order if you want the instruction to remain active beyond the current week.
• Monitor news and events that could affect your target security while the order is active.

Bottom line

GTW orders offer a short-term automatic expiration that can be useful for week‑specific trading plans. They are a niche tool—more common with full‑service brokers—and should be chosen only after weighing execution preferences, broker support, and event timing.