Who Margin trading can achieve high profits - but the level of potential losses also increases. If the A trader's capital is not sufficientcan be a Brokers trigger the margin call. We have put together a list of what it is, how you can avoid it and what to do if it happens.
The most important in a nutshell
- The margin call is a request from your broker to adjust your minimum margin (equity for a margin trade)
- In this case, you can add further capital, close or reduce the position at risk
- How much capital you need to hold can fluctuate greatly - asset volatility, financial supervisory rules and more all play a role
- Automatic closing is more secure and is already standard with many brokers
Margin call - definition and meaning
When trading on the stock exchange, traders can use their capital to buy assets such as shares, ETFs, foreign exchange and much more. In this case, they benefit from rising prices. Through a Short sale it is also possible to make a profit when prices fall.
In order to Profits from such trading activity to increase, there are several options. The simplest: invest more capital! High-quality brokers offer margin trading for this purpose on. In the process they lend additional fundsso that the total quantity for an item can be increased.
Retailers only need a Partial amount, the so-called margin (English for cover amount, security amount) tax.
If the trade was successful, the traders sell the asset for a higher price. They keep the amount that they have contributed themselves, as well as the profit. This is higher, as more capital was invested (due to the loan). The broker receives back the amount of money lent as well as a lending fee (margin interest).
However, if the position does not develop in the retailer's favor, there is a risk of significantly higher losses! This is because the broker amount borrowed must sooner or later repaid be If the trader has lost this capital on the stock exchange, he would have to arrange for repayment from another source.
Such a For some time now, "margin calls" have no longer been permitted for private market participants in Germany. To avoid being stuck with the costs in the event of an emergency, the brokers therefore run a so-called Margin Call out. You contact the retailer before the losses get out of hand and draw their attention to the problem.
Among other things, the trader now has the option of close a poorly performing position or to reduce and thus avoid further losses. In this case, he has to live with the loss already incurred. The broker receives back the borrowed capital as well as an additional lending fee.
Alternatively it is It is also possible to pay additional capital into the custody account. This increases the equity share (margin) and further price falls can be compensated for. This method is suitable if the trader continues to believe in the positive development of the position.
Due to the urgency of limiting losses and the speed of the markets, it is also The broker usually closes the positions at risk directly. This process is known as a margin call.
Trading with levers
If you are borrow additional capital from your broker for a trade, you multiply the price developmentYou are now trading with a much larger sum, so that every price change in percent represents a significantly larger amount in euros, dollars and the like. Margin trading is therefore also referred to as Leverage or leveraged products.
To estimate the effect of such a lever, you simply need to multiply the result of a price change by the amount of the lever.
Example:
You would like to buy shares in company A, which are currently listed at EUR 20.00 each. You currently have 10,000 euros available in your securities account. You use margin trading and borrow a further 10,000 euros from your broker. Your available capital has now doubled, so you are using leverage with a factor of 2.
You then use the available EUR 20,000 to buy a total of 1,000 shares at a price of EUR 20.00 each.
- If the price of the securities rises by 1 percent, you will achieve a price gain of 200 euros - calculated on your personal capital (10,000 euros), this corresponds to a value of 2 percent!
- If the price rises by two percent, your capital gain is EUR 400 or four percent of your (personal, not borrowed) capital.
- An increase of three percent means a profit of six percent and so on ...
However, if the price of the securities falls by one percent, you lose 200 euros. However, this value also corresponds to two percent of your personal capital of 10,000 euros. A price drop of five percent (1,000 euros) would mean a loss of ten percent and so on ...
Since all results are doubled, this is referred to as double leverage. If you borrow higher amounts, triple, quadruple, ... leverage is also possible.
No matter how the prices have developed: You have to pay back the 10,000 euros you borrowed. If the losses accumulate to such an extent that this repayment is at risk, a margin call is madeYour broker will inform you of the problem and ask you to take appropriate action.
Not included in this example are the lending fees for the EUR 10,000 and the costs of your broker and the trading venue. Depending on the provider, asset, amount and trading frequency, there may be a larger additional charge here. There are considerable differences between the various brokers, especially when it comes to margin interest rates.
CapTrader can do that:
CapTrader offers you the most favorable margin rates for trading on over 150 exchanges! The order fees themselves are also extremely favorable. You can trade US shares from as little as $ 0.01 per share (order minimum: $ 2.00), EU shares from 0.1 % of the order volume (order minimum: € 2.00), Trade options from € 2.00, futures from € 1.00, ETFs from € 2.00 ...
What happens with a margin call?
In margin trading, it can happen that one or more persons record high losses. If the losses exceed the equity share of the custody account holderthe money borrowed from the broker would be at risk. Before this happens, however, a broker will Trigger margin call.
These are the Request to the custody account holder to comply with the minimum margin. This would be possible by increasing the amount of capital or closing/reducing the positions at risk. A margin call is usually made by e-mail or a direct message in the trading platforms due to the rapid implementation.
Today, however, these methods are rather uncommon: the speed of the markets, longer trading hours, more customers per broker and other factors have made it much more difficultto execute margin calls in good time. The retailers concerned are not always available and could hardly react quickly enough.
High-quality brokers are therefore The market has long since switched to closing out endangered positions immediately after a warning. Since this process is already the de facto standard today, this automatic closing also falls under the term margin call. So it doesn't always have to be an e-mail or a phone call from the broker!
The Closing out at risk has both advantages and disadvantages for the trader: It can Reliably prevent major damagebut often causes displeasure among traders. If a margin call occurs, futures and other securities are sold - and the broker can No consideration of the trader's strategy who might have made a different choice.
Who sets the margin limits?
Whether and when a margin call occurs naturally depends largely on how high or low the minimum margin is! First of all A distinction is made between two types of cover amounts:
- Initial margin: This amount must be available in the securities account in order to open a (margin) position. This enables the broker to ensure that sufficient capital is available to offset any losses. If the amount is not available, the desired trade cannot be concluded.
- Minimum margin: A minimum amount that must be held in the securities account in order to maintain the trading position. If this amount is not reached, the broker triggers the margin call.
The The decisive limit is therefore the minimum deposit. This amount is ultimately determined by the broker. In the case of products traded over the counter, such as forex transactions, the broker has a completely free hand. Exchange-traded assets such as shares, ETFs or Short-term bonds subject to on the other hand the requirements of BaFin:
| Asset | Minimum margin according to BaFin | = Maximum lever |
| Cryptocurrencies | 50 % | 2 |
| Stocks | 20 % | 5 |
| Forex (Majors) | 3,33 % | 30 |
| Forex (minor pairs) | 5 % | 20 |
| Gold | 5 % | 20 |
| "Main" indices (S&P500, DAX30 etc.) | 5 % | 20 |
| Other indices | 10 % | 10 |
| Raw materials | 10 % | 10 |
| Other underlyings | 20 % | 5 |
These values are primarily based on the risk potential of the respective asset class. In particular, the risk of loss within a trading day is considered an important underlying value.
The BaFin requirements are only the minimum. In practice, brokers can specify higher values - and they make extensive use of this option! This is understandable, as it reduces the financial risk for providers without placing an excessive burden on customers.
A regular adjustment is customary. The brokers use complex algorithms to calculate the potential risks and identify the appropriate Corrections to the minimum margin to perform. They capture factors such as changes in volatility, maximum price movements, spreads between similar products and more.
In addition higher limits if you keep positions open overnight. Due to the high "gap risk" between trading days, most providers charge significantly higher amounts between trading days or at weekends.
Traders cannot react to changes during this period as the exchanges are closed. When the markets open the next morning, there can be massive slumps if the effects of the previous night/weekend are suddenly reflected in prices.
How you can prevent a margin call
The Margin Call - whether in the historical call form or as an automatic closing of positions at risk - is a unpleasant eventthat most traders want to avoid at all costs. This is because it stands for high losses and is seen by many as a sign that a trader has made a mistake.
The good news is that you have a Margin Call with a few simple steps! Traders who are familiar with the basic rules of active trading and the most important Trading tips are highly unlikely to ever experience such an event.
Probably the best protection: to prevent escalating losses leading to a margin call from the outset. To do this, you should observe the basics of money management and risk management and always limit the maximum losses of an individual position. There are two basic methods:
- Limit losses through "simple hedging". Through stop-loss orders, Trailing stop-loss orders and similar order forms, you can define the maximum possible loss. If the price reaches this limit, a sell order is triggered and the position is closed automatically. With the exception of rare "flash crashes" (the market collapses so quickly and massively that the stop order can only be executed with large losses or not at all), you are protected against excessive losses.
- You hedge your positions through hedging. You can either compensate for potential losses by taking an opposite position (if one loses, the other wins) or secure a future price through derivatives. Futures contracts such as options are ideal for this. If you have already Trade optionsyou can do this, for example, by Delta hedging also secure.
Another hedging method that comes from the area of money management is the Selection of suitable position sizes. A popular rule of thumb says that the possible loss of a trade does not exceed one percent of your available capital should be. Even if this value does not apply to all traders and all strategists, it is a useful initial guideline.
The most common trigger for a margin call is the "Transferring" your own portfolio: Too much of the available capital is tied up in positions that are too risky. The losses can quickly add up, especially if several such trades result in losses!
To avoid problems, you should therefore not only consider the risk of an individual transaction, but also the Keep an eye on the overall risk of your portfolio. If the worst-case scenario occurs and all positions generate the maximum loss, you should ideally still be above your broker's minimum margin.
Calculate sum insured
Which Minimum amount in your custody account must be present to avoid a margin call, your broker will tell you. Manual calculation is therefore not necessary. It would hardly be possible in practice either, as quite complex calculations with key figures are used, which are only available to the provider.
You can when opening a margin position to see what minimum margin is required. This value is only valid at the current point in time and can change quicklyHowever, it is a good guideline.
The current minimum margin for a position is visible when the order is concluded.
Please note that the cover must be available for all items. This means that if, for example, you have a trade with a margin of 5,000 euros, one with 7,000 euros and one with 10,000 euros, your securities account must have collateral totaling 23,000 euros. If less capital is available, a margin call may occur.
The The sum insured is by no means always available in cash! Most providers today also accept shares, bonds and other assets as collateral. Depositing Bitcoin and Co. is also common among specialized crypto brokers. You should refer to the respective terms and conditions to find out which assets your broker accepts.
Is margin trading and the margin call a danger for small investors?
Newcomers in particular, who are considering investing in the financial markets for the first time, often have a highly distorted view of the potential risks. They hear horror stories from traders who have not only lost their entire capital, but have also run up huge debts.
Of course, more experienced traders know that this scenario is not very realistic for private investors. Because Small investors and even active traders are protected from margin calls or indebtedness in several ways:
1. margin trading is not available by default
The Trading with borrowed capital is only possible with a small number of brokers in Germany. But even with these "professional brokers" you will receive do not automatically have access to leveraged products! Also Future Trading and similar complex derivatives are initially denied to regular investors.
Trading in such vehicles requires a Special margin account required, which must be applied for separately. During the registration process, a basic check of a trader's suitability is carried out. The capital requirements also differ from a "normal" custody account, the so-called cash account.
This ensures that retail investors, long-term investors and others who do not wish to take such risks are protected. A Accidental trading in leverage products is excluded by the application required in advance. The margin call will never materialize for such market participants because margin trading is not available.
CapTrader can do that:
CapTrader is one of the few brokers in Germany to offer margin accounts and "professional tools" such as options, futures and foreign exchange. At the same time, our award-winning app, our award-winning customer service and our very broad range of shares, ETFs and bonds also make it easy for new traders and investors to invest successfully!
2. no obligation to make additional contributions in Germany
A trader generates such large losses by trading with leverage that he loses more money than he had available. He now has to pay huge sums in arrears. A horror scenario that is not possible for private market participants in Germany!
Because the Obligation to make additional contributions (obligation to compensate for the losses incurred through additional payments) does not exist for this group of people. Should they make such high sums, a margin call is made and the loss-making position is closed.
The regulations originate from the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and are intended to protect private investors from the dangers of trading. The individual brokers carry out margin calls in order to implement the regulations in practice.
Conclusion: The margin call is an unpleasant but avoidable event
Through Margin trading In addition to their own assets, traders can borrow further capital from their broker. This allows the possible profits, but also significantly increase losses. If such a transaction generates excessive losses, a trader could lose more than he owns. In this case, the broker pulls the "emergency brake": a margin call is made.
These are the Request to the custody account holder to close or reduce the position at risk or to pay in further capital in good time. In this way, the trader could restore the minimum margin. This necessary base value is determined by the respective broker.
Various parameters and BaFin specifications are used for the calculation. If the cover amount is not reached, the broker can contact the trader. However, the Automatic liquidationThe service provider closes affected and, if necessary, other positions in order to create a balance.
Regardless of whether the broker contacts you or closes your trades directly: The Margin call is an unpleasant eventwhich usually occurs after significant losses. However, it can be by taking simple steps!
Retailers should use the Basics of the Money Managementsabove all the rules on the correct position size and maximum risk. This will prevent you from "overleveraging" or "overtrading" your portfolio. You should also ensure that all trades are protected by stop orders or other hedging mechanisms.
Margin trading is used particularly often in foreign exchange transactions. Our contribution to Forex signals explains how you can act successfully in this difficult area!
