Margin Call: What Happens When A Margin Call Takes Place and How to Avoid
To understand the cause of a margin call is the first step. The second
and more beneficial step is learning understanding how to stay far away
from a potential margin call. The short answer as to understand what
causes a margin call is simple, you’ve run out of usable margin.
The second and promised more beneficial step is to understand what
depletes your usable margin and stay away from those activities. In risk
of oversimplifying the causes, here are the top causes for margin calls
which you should avoid like the plague (presented in no specific
order):
- Holding on to a losing trade too long which depletes Usable Margin
- Overleveraging your account combined with the 1st reason
- An underfunded account which will force you to over trade with too little usable margin
What Happens When A Margin Call Takes Place?
When a margin call takes place, you are liquidated or closed out of your
trades. The purpose is two-fold: you no longer have the money in your
account to hold the losing positions and the broker is now on the line
for your losses which is equally bad for the broker.
How to Avoid Margin Calls
Leverage is often and fittingly referred to as a double-edged sword. The
purpose of that statement is that the larger leverage you use to hold a
trade greater than some large multiple of your account, the less usable
margin you have to absorb any losses. The sword only cuts deeper if an
over-leveraged trade goes against you as the gains can quickly deplete
your account and when your usable margin % hits, zero, you will receive a
margin call. This only gives further credence to the reason of using
protective stops while cutting your losses as short as possible.
