When an investor opens a new margin account with a FOREX broker, he or she must deposit a minimum amount of monies with that broker. This minimum varies from broker to broker and can be as low as $100 to as high as $100,000.
Each time the trader executes a new trade, a certain percentage of the account balance in the margin account will be earmarked as the initial margin requirement for the new trade based on the underlying currency pair, its current price, and the number of units traded (called a lot). The lot size always refers to the base currency. An even lot is usually a quantity of 100,000 units, but most brokers permit investors to trade in odd lots (fractions of 100,000 units). A mini-lot is 10,000 units and a micro-lot is generally considered to be 1,000 units. A standard lot is 100,000 and a bank lot is 250,000 units.
For U.S. retail FOREX traders the minimum margin has been set by the NFA to 1 percent (100:1 leverage) for major currency pairs and 4 percent (25:1 leverage) for exotics.
Leverage
Leverage is the ratio of the amount used in a transaction to the required security deposit (margin). It is the ability to control large dollar amounts of a security with a comparatively small amount of capital. Leveraging varies dramatically with different brokers, ranging from 10:1 to 400:1. Leverage is frequently referred to as gearing. Typical ranges for trading are 50:1 to 100:1. The formula for calculating leverage is:
Leverage = 100/Margin Percent
The most typical leverage used by traders in retail FOREX is 50:1 to 100:1. Some brokers offer up to 400:1. A new trader should start with very low leverage, perhaps 20:1 and certainly no higher than 50:1.
To some extent FOREX traders set their own leverage insofar as they determine the lot size to trade. But your broker-dealer will set a maximum.
Margin Calls
Nearly all FOREX brokers monitor your account balance continuously. If your balance falls below 4 percent of the open margin requirement, they will issue the first margin call warning, usually by an online popup message on the screen and/or an e-mail notification. If your account balance drops below 3 percent of the margin requirement for your open positions, they will issue a second margin warning. At 2 percent, they will liquidate all your open trades and notify you of your current account balance. These percentages may vary from broker to broker. You may not even be able to execute a trade that exceeds certain capital and risk parameters. Brokers today are able to closely watch customer accounts to prevent them from getting to the point of requiring a margin call. You can be assured that as a new customer your account will be initially monitored with higher precision until the broker has a sense of how you trade.
Each time the trader executes a new trade, a certain percentage of the account balance in the margin account will be earmarked as the initial margin requirement for the new trade based on the underlying currency pair, its current price, and the number of units traded (called a lot). The lot size always refers to the base currency. An even lot is usually a quantity of 100,000 units, but most brokers permit investors to trade in odd lots (fractions of 100,000 units). A mini-lot is 10,000 units and a micro-lot is generally considered to be 1,000 units. A standard lot is 100,000 and a bank lot is 250,000 units.
For U.S. retail FOREX traders the minimum margin has been set by the NFA to 1 percent (100:1 leverage) for major currency pairs and 4 percent (25:1 leverage) for exotics.
Leverage
Leverage is the ratio of the amount used in a transaction to the required security deposit (margin). It is the ability to control large dollar amounts of a security with a comparatively small amount of capital. Leveraging varies dramatically with different brokers, ranging from 10:1 to 400:1. Leverage is frequently referred to as gearing. Typical ranges for trading are 50:1 to 100:1. The formula for calculating leverage is:
Leverage = 100/Margin Percent
The most typical leverage used by traders in retail FOREX is 50:1 to 100:1. Some brokers offer up to 400:1. A new trader should start with very low leverage, perhaps 20:1 and certainly no higher than 50:1.
To some extent FOREX traders set their own leverage insofar as they determine the lot size to trade. But your broker-dealer will set a maximum.
Margin Calls
Nearly all FOREX brokers monitor your account balance continuously. If your balance falls below 4 percent of the open margin requirement, they will issue the first margin call warning, usually by an online popup message on the screen and/or an e-mail notification. If your account balance drops below 3 percent of the margin requirement for your open positions, they will issue a second margin warning. At 2 percent, they will liquidate all your open trades and notify you of your current account balance. These percentages may vary from broker to broker. You may not even be able to execute a trade that exceeds certain capital and risk parameters. Brokers today are able to closely watch customer accounts to prevent them from getting to the point of requiring a margin call. You can be assured that as a new customer your account will be initially monitored with higher precision until the broker has a sense of how you trade.
