Margin requirement calculator
How much of your account a position locks up before anything moves. Margin is a deposit, not a cost - but it is unavailable while the trade is open.
What the number means
Margin is the slice of the position's full value your broker sets aside as collateral. At 30:1 leverage that slice is 3.33% of the notional; at 5:1 it is 20%. Nothing is spent - but that capital cannot back any other position while the trade is open.
Leverage changes the deposit, not the risk. The position's profit and loss is driven by its notional value, which is the same at any leverage. What higher leverage actually buys is less distance between normal market movement and a margin call.
Worked example
0.5 lots of EURUSD at 1.1000 with 30:1 leverage, US dollar account.
- Notional: 0.5 × 100,000 × 1.10 = $55,000
- Margin at 30:1: $55,000 ÷ 30 = $1,833.33, which is 3.33% of the notional
A $10,000 account has $8,166.67 of free margin left - and a 3.3% move against a position this size is $1,815, most of it. The unit test suite pins these exact figures.
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