Margin can be thought of as a good faith deposit required to maintain open positions. This is not a fee or a transaction cost, it is simply portion of your account equity set aside and allocated as a margin deposit. The amount of margin that you are required to put up for each currency pair varies by your leverage profile, Learn more.

Margin requirements can periodically change to account for changes in market volatility and current exchange rates. For example, the margin requirement (MMR) for a specific currency pair is calculated as a percentage of the notional value of such pair. As the exchange rates for any specific currency pair fluctuate up or down, the margin requirement for that pair must be adjusted. As an example, if the Euro strengthens against the US dollar, more margin will be required to hold a EUR/USD position in a US dollar denominated account.

FXCM does not anticipate more than one update a month, however extreme market movements or event risk may necessitate unscheduled intra-month updates. Up-to-date margin requirements can also be found in the Simple Dealing Rates window of the Trading Station.

Margin requirements for Single Shares and Stock Baskets are updated daily during the market break but may be updated intraday. Please go to below links for more information or open the Trading Station to see the latest margin requirements.

• Product Guide
• CFD Trading Hours

Please monitor your usable margin closely, making sure it stays above zero. We recommend a usable margin that is at least 80% of your account equity (usable margin plus used margin). To increase your usable margin, you may:

• Deposit Funds to raise equity; or
• Close open positions to trade smaller lot sizes.