What is Leverage and Margin in Trading?
📊 What is Leverage and Margin in Trading?
Many beginners hear the terms leverage and margin while entering the world of trading. But what do they mean? Let’s break them down in simple words so anyone can understand.
💡 What is Margin?
Margin is the money you need to keep in your trading account to take a trade. It’s like a security deposit. This is not the full value of the trade, but just a small portion of it.
Example: If you want to buy stocks worth ₹1,00,000 but the margin requirement is 20%, then you need to have only ₹20,000 in your account.
⚡ What is Leverage?
Leverage means using borrowed money from your broker to trade a bigger position than your actual capital. It amplifies both your profits and losses.
Example: If your broker gives you 5x leverage, and you have ₹10,000, you can trade stocks worth ₹50,000.
🔄 How Leverage and Margin Work Together
These two are connected. When you use leverage, the margin is the amount you need to deposit to open that leveraged position.
So, more leverage = less margin required.
✅ Benefits of Leverage
- 💸 Allows trading bigger positions with small capital
- 📈 Can increase your profit potential
⚠️ Risks of Leverage
- 📉 Losses are also magnified
- 🔁 Small market movement can cause large losses
- 💥 If the trade goes wrong, your margin can get wiped out fast
📌 Margin Call & Liquidation
If your losses increase and your margin balance drops below the required level, the broker may ask you to add more funds (margin call). If you don’t, they might sell your positions to limit their risk.
📘 Final Thoughts for Beginners
- 🧠 Use leverage only when you fully understand the risks
- 🎯 Start with low leverage and practice with virtual trading
- 📉 Always use stop-loss to limit losses
💬 Remember: Leverage is like a knife — useful when used properly, but dangerous if mishandled.
📚 Join my Telegram channel for educational stock market insights and research:
👉 https://t.me/Investtrade_by_Ankit
⚠️ This is for learning purposes only. Please do your own research before making any investment decisions.
Written by @nkit
Comments
Post a Comment