share_log

What does 'T+n' mean in stock market?

Moomoo News ·  Feb 20, 2021 01:51  · Exclusive

Source: Investopedia

by Linear

From free introductory classes to advanced trading strategies, we aim to help you increase your knowledge and trade smarter. Let's make investing easier and not alone.

-Moomoo News Team

Overview

In this article, we will introduce:

What do 'T' and 'T+n' mean?

What are Trade Date and Settlement Date?

Why delay actual settlement?

When do you actually own the stock or get the money?

What do 'T' and 'T+n' mean?

Whenever you buy or sell a stock, bond, exchange traded fund, or mutual fund, there are two important dates to understand: the trade date and the settlement date. 'T' is the trade date. The abbreviations T+1, T+2, and T+3 refer to the settlement dates of security transactions that occur on a trade date plus one day, plus two days, and plus three days, respectively.

What are Trade Date and Settlement Date?

Trade Date

'T' refers to the trade date. The trade date is the month, day, and year that an order is executed in the market. The trade date is therefore when an order to purchase, sell, or otherwise transact in a security is performed. A trade date is determined for all types of investment security transactions in the market.

Settlement Date

The settlement date is the date when a trade is final, and the buyer must make payment to the seller while the seller delivers the assets to the buyer. 

  • The settlement date for stocks and bonds is usually two business days after the execution date (T+2). 

  • For government securities and options, it's the next business day (T+1). 

  • In spot foreign exchange (FX), the date is two business days after the transaction date. 

Why delay actual settlement?

In the past, security transactions were done manually rather than electronically. Investors would wait for the delivery of a particular security, which was in actual certificate form, and payment happened upon receiving the certificate. Since delivery times could vary and prices always fluctuate, market regulators set a period of time in which securities and cash must be delivered.

When do you actually own the stock or get the money?

  1. If you buy (or sell) a security with a T+2 settlement on Monday, and we assume there are no holidays during the week, the settlement date will be Wednesday, not Tuesday. The 'T' or transaction date is counted as a separate day.

  2. Not every security will have the same settlement periods. All stocks and most mutual funds are currently T+2. However, bonds and some money market funds will vary between T+1, T+2, and T+3.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of any specific investment or investment strategy. Read more
26
Comment Comment 7 · Views 11.9k

Comment(7)

Recommended

Write a comment
7