Stock Trading and Other Things

How do mutual funds and firms purchase large amounts of shares?

Do they spread it out over every couple hours, every couple days? Watch the level II quotes and fill up any large orders that are near current trading price? Good-til-Cancelled limit orders that last forever and remain very close to the trading price? How do they do it?
You can't overflow the market with demand. Knowledgeable investors and traders, PLEASE! Thank you.
Well they could just place a large limit order. Sorry, though, I would like a more definite answer. Thank you.

Public Comments

1. Huh? They just buy like everyone else... Sometimes they buy TONS of shares (you can see from the volume), sometimes they just buy some, and buy some more if the price goes lower.
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