Courses › From Zero to Trader: The Ultimate Starter Guide
Managing Leverage, Margin, and Free Margin
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What this lesson covers
Most accounts are not lost to one bad trade. They are lost because too much was committed at once and there was no room left when the market moved. This lesson explains leverage, margin and free margin in terms of what they do to your account rather than as definitions. It covers how margin is calculated, what free margin actually represents, and how a margin call happens. It draws the important distinction between high leverage, which is simply what the account allows, and smart leverage, which is what you choose to use. It also covers how margin requirements differ between a retail broker account and a funded account with a firm's rules attached. Margin awareness becomes part of the risk calculation rather than an afterthought.