Trading

Margin

Borrowed purchasing power or collateral required to support certain positions.

Plain-English context

Put the definition to work.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE

Borrowing $5,000 to combine with $5,000 equity creates a $10,000 purchase; a $1,000 position loss is 20% of the initial equity before interest.

IMPORTANT DISTINCTION

A stock-margin loan differs from futures performance-bond collateral; neither creates risk-free additional capital.

Further reading and verification. Examples are hypothetical, not current quotes or recommendations. Product terms, tax treatment and market rules can change. FINRA — order types and execution

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