What time were you trying to sell the stock? Before the open or after? If it was before, then you might need to specifically send a pre-market order via etrade. I don't use etrade but other brokers I do use have a separate trading interface for pre and post-market trading. Otherwise your post doesn't make sense - if you were long the shares you should be able to sell them at whatever price you want. If I had to guess, you put in an order before 9:30am and you didn't use the pre-market interface so the order was queued and wouldn't go active until the open.
%% Yes; but only if your broker.....does his job+ wants to buy a penny stock[under $5] from him.Some charge extra for stocks under $5 + there can be some complex traps for a broker under $5, but even Etrade most likely disclosed all the risks, traps/they can shut down your account for 90 days.......+ regulations . So it depends
You're right. But then it sounds like the stock was lent out for shorting and he was effectively putting on a short-sale. OP hasn't said what broker it is.
%% Sounds like you are right. But with Etrade ,how did they charge me for using thier toll free 1800 number ?? LOL. I paid it + adios amigos/good bye Etrade.
Your reply is not applicable and incorrect. If a firm lends out your stock for shorting it has zero effect on your ability to sell out your long position.
I started placing limit orders at 9:38am (about 8 minutes after open). I canceled them as it wasn't executing even though I was placing the limit orders at the bid. I placed the market order at 9:41 and canceled at 9:43 because it wasn't executing. I waited until I saw the stock moving again which was at 9:47. It executed as soon as I put the order in at that time, so for about 9 minutes my orders weren't executing. The rest of my trades/quotes were moving normally. It was only MRO that was weird.
Through IB's share lending program. You go long, your shares are lent out to shorters and you earn interest. Pretty simple, in theory. You were not aware of this?