Margin is the money set aside in your account to keep a position open. It is not a fee: it is released when you close the position. With us it is not a percentage of the price either. It is a fixed amount per lot, so you know it before you trade.
The tiers
Each lot is charged at its own tier:
- Your first 2 lots: $1,000 per lot
- From 2 to 5 lots: $2,000 per lot
- From 5 to 25 lots: $5,000 per lot
- From 25 to 50 lots: $10,000 per lot
- 50 lots and above: $20,000 per lot
The same fixed margin applies to gold, silver, oil, the Dow Jones, the Nasdaq and crypto (1 lot of Bitcoin is 1 BTC). It does not go up on news days or before the Friday close. The largest single order is 20 lots.
Margin level and stop-out
MetaTrader 5 shows your margin level: your equity (your balance plus or minus your open results) divided by the margin in use, as a percentage. The higher it is, the more room your positions have.
If losses push the margin level down to 5%, stop-out begins: positions start to close automatically. Over the weekend every account must keep a margin level of at least 100%; an account below 100% at the Friday close is hedged automatically at the closing price, against gaps when the market reopens. If an account ever goes below zero, you do not owe us the difference.
Worked example
- You open 3 lots of gold.
- Your first 2 lots: 2 × $1,000 = $2,000.
- Your next lot is in the second tier: $2,000.
- Margin for 3 lots: $4,000.
- With equity of $8,000, your level is $8,000 ÷ $4,000 = 200%.
- Stop-out at 5% would begin only if your equity fell to $200.
Key points
- Margin is money set aside, not a fee — it is released when you close.
- It is a fixed amount per lot: $1,000 for each of your first 2 lots, then $2,000, $5,000, $10,000 and $20,000 at the higher tiers.
- 3 lots need $4,000, and the amount never rises on news days or before the Friday close.
- Stop-out begins at a margin level of 5%; keep at least 100% over the weekend.
Try it
Open the trading calculator in your account, choose gold and type 3 lots: it shows the margin, the spread cost and how far the price could move before stop-out.
Open the calculator