Forex Trading Margin

Margin trading allows you to leverage your capital into a larger position. Basically, forex brokers – including dbFX, which operates using a margin forex trading platform – lend their clients money so that they can control a larger position than they have the capital for. In forex trading, positions (called lots) are in chunks of 100,000 units of the base currency. Most people do not have $100,000 at their disposal in order to control such a large position. Using margin to leverage their capital, however, allows them to take $2,500 or $1,000 (or less) and control a large lot size.

Because lot sizes are so large, and because the foreign currency market is so volatile, a great deal of money can be made with each position. This allows the clients to make enough money to cover the margin used to trade forex. The flip side, though, is that if gains are magnified by the leverage use in currency trading, so are the losses.

Some forex brokers offer margin calculation services to help you keep track of how much of your account balance is available for new positions. With dbFX, which is owned by Deutsche Bank, it is possible to automatically see where you stand. This is very useful, since it can reduce the chances that you will over extend yourself. It is important to realize that margin forex trading can be devastating in some cases. Some forex brokers offer a 400:1 margin, but it is possible to select a 100:1 or 50:1 margin that is less risky. Your profit will be smaller, but so will your chance of a large loss.