Forex margin rates
Our tiered margining system means we can offer competitive rates that reflect the size of your position and associated liquidity of the market.
Start trading today. Call 844 IG USA FX or email newaccounts.us@ig.com. We’re here 24 hours a day, from 3am Saturday to 5pm Friday (EST).
Contact us: 844 IG USA FX
Start trading today. Call 844 IG USA FX or email newaccounts.us@ig.com. We’re here 24 hours a day, from 3am Saturday to 5pm Friday (EST).
Contact us: 844 IG USA FX
What is margin in forex trading?
Forex markets are leveraged, meaning you don’t have to pay the full value of your trade upfront. Instead, you’ll put up an initial deposit – which is a fraction of your position’s total value – to trade. This opening amount is called margin – also sometimes referred to as ‘deposit margin’.
Margin is usually required on leveraged trades. Bear in mind that the profits and losses of leveraged trades are calculated on the full position size, not the margin amount. This means that you could lose or gain more than the amount you paid to open the trade.
Our forex trading margin rates
All our margins are kept to competitively low rates. We offer tiered margining, meaning there are different margin requirements at different levels of exposure. Smaller lot sizes attract our lowest margin rates because they generally benefit from better market liquidity.
Our tiers start from one and go up to four. Tier one has the lowest margin rates, while tier four has the highest.
You can see a summary of tier one margins for some of our most popular markets below. For all tier one margins, you can limit your potential for losses by using stop orders. This limits your exposure to risk by automatically closing out your positions if losses reach a certain level, predetermined by you. However, if markets move too fast and your position is not closed in time, your trade can go through negative slippage.
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Backed by more than 45 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Open an account now
Open an account now
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy low spreads with a reliable execution
Trade seamlessly, wherever you are
Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app1
Feel secure with a trusted provider
Backed by more than 45 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Margin for professionals
Professional clients are exempt from regulatory limits on leverage that are in place for retail clients. If you qualify as a professional client, you won’t have to commit as much of your capital to the initial margin deposit as a retail client would.
For example, if a retail client wanted to take a position on the FTSE 100, a margin of 5% would be required. A professional client, on the other hand, would only need to put down a margin of 0.45%.
You can find out more, and check if you are eligible for professional status, on our professional trading page.
What’s maintenance margin?
Maintenance margin, also known as variation margin, is extra money that we might need to request if the market moves against you. It ensures you’ve got enough money in your account to fund the present value of the position – covering any running losses.
This type of margin is charged via a ‘margin call’, which is a status applied to your account when it’s fallen below the minimum required to keep a position open. Should you go into margin call, we will attempt to notify you by email. However, it’s important to note that’s it’s always the obligation of the client (you) to monitor accounts and ensure that you have sufficient funds to cover both margin and losses at all times.
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Find out if you are eligible for automatic monthly rebates for trading with IG.
1 "Award-winning” is based on the ForexBrokers.com 2024 Annual Review, a submissions-based process where companies are invited to enter the judging process in which IG won #1 Mobile App. Awards are given by ForexBrokers judges, based on demonstrating innovative ideas implemented in a practical way for solving issues for clients. You can view how they rate brokers by visiting here.
