What is LTQ in the share market?

LTQ stands for Last Traded Quantity. It is the number of shares that changed hands in the most recent trade of a stock. If the LTQ shows 250, the last trade on the exchange was for 250 shares.

You’ll usually see LTQ next to LTP (last traded price) on your broker’s market watch or quote screen. Together they tell you what just happened: 250 shares traded at, say, ₹612.40.

LTQ on its own is a small number that changes every second, so it is easy to over-read. Its real use is in spotting unusual activity. If a stock normally trades in lots of 10 to 100 shares and suddenly shows trades of 25,000 shares, larger participants may be active. Some traders watch for this on the order flow screen alongside market depth.

A practical caution: one big LTQ does not tell you whether the buyer or the seller was more aggressive. Every trade has both. Look at price action and total volume for the day before drawing conclusions.

Reading market watch screens properly, including LTQ, volume and depth, is part of the practical sessions in our Diploma in Stock Market.