Margin Call: What It Is And How To Avoid It Bankrate Caret RightMain Menu Mortgage Mortgages Financing a home purchase Refinancing your existing loan Finding the right lender Additional Resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Bank Banking Compare Accounts Use calculators Get advice Bank reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Credit Card Credit cards Compare by category Compare by credit needed Compare by issuer Get advice Looking for the perfect credit card? Narrow your search with CardMatch Caret RightMain Menu Loan Loans Personal Loans Student Loans Auto Loans Loan calculators Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Invest Investing Best of Brokerages and robo-advisors Learn the basics Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Home Equity Home equity Get the best rates Lender reviews Use calculators Knowledge base Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Loan Home Improvement Real estate Selling a home Buying a home Finding the right agent Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Insurance Insurance Car insurance Homeowners insurance Other insurance Company reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Retirement Retirement Retirement plans & accounts Learn the basics Retirement calculators Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Our articles, interactive tools, and hypothetical examples contain information to help you conduct research but are not intended to serve as investment advice, and we cannot guarantee that this information is applicable or accurate to your personal circumstances. Any estimates based on past performance do not a guarantee future performance, and prior to making any investment you should discuss your specific investment needs or seek advice from a qualified professional. How We Make Money
The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you. Editorial disclosure
All reviews are prepared by our staff. Opinions expressed are solely those of the reviewer and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including any rates, terms and fees associated with financial products, presented in the review is accurate as of the date of publication. SHARE: Bloomberg/Getty Images June 14, 2022 Bankrate reporter Brian Baker covers investing and retirement. He has previous experience as an industry analyst at an investment firm. Baker is passionate about helping people make sense of complicated financial topics so that they can plan for their financial futures. Brian Beers is the managing editor for the Wealth team at Bankrate. He oversees editorial coverage of banking, investing, the economy and all things money. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by and edited by , who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy. Our investing reporters and editors focus on the points consumers care about most — how to get started, the best brokers, types of investment accounts, how to choose investments and more — so you can feel confident when investing your money. Investing disclosure: The investment information provided in this table is for informational and general educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment or financial advice. Bankrate does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it provide individualized recommendations or personalized investment advice. Investment decisions should be based on an evaluation of your own personal financial situation, needs, risk tolerance and investment objectives. Investing involves risk including the potential loss of principal. Bankrate logo Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers. Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate logo How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. A margin call occurs when the value of securities in a falls below a certain level, known as the maintenance margin, requiring the account holder to deposit additional cash or securities to meet the margin requirements. Margin calls only happen in accounts that have borrowed money to purchase securities, and they usually occur in fast-declining markets. Here are some other things to keep in mind about margin calls and how to avoid them. What is a margin call
A margin call may sound like the sort of thing that only happens to big players on Wall Street, but it can also happen to small investors who have purchased securities on margin, or using borrowed money. Here’s how it works. If you’ve opened a margin account with an , it means that you’ll be able to purchase securities such as , and exchange-traded funds () using a combination of your own money and money the broker has lent to you. The borrowed money is known as margin. This will allow you to trade more than you otherwise would be able to and will magnify your returns, either positively or negatively. One caveat to buying on margin is that you’ll also have a maintenance margin requirement, which requires you to maintain a certain percentage of equity in your account. When your portfolio falls below the maintenance margin, usually due to declining security prices, you’ll be hit with a margin call from your broker. Once you’ve received a margin call, you have a few options: Deposit additional cash into your account up to the maintenance margin level Transfer additional securities into your account up to the maintenance margin level Sell securities (possibly at depressed prices) to make up the shortfall If you aren’t able to meet the margin call fast enough to satisfy your broker, it may be able to sell securities without your permission in order to make up for the shortfall. You will typically have two to five days to respond to a margin call, but it may be less during volatile market environments. When do margin calls happen
Margin calls can occur at any time, but are more likely to happen during periods of high market volatility. Here’s what triggers a margin call: A security you hold declines and takes the value of your margin account below the required maintenance margin. If you’re short a security (betting against it), a margin call can be triggered if it appreciates, or moves against you. You’re then required to deposit additional capital into your account up to the maintenance margin level. The funds can be cash or additional securities. If you don’t make a deposit, your broker may require you to sell something in order to meet the margin call. How to avoid a margin call
The easiest way to avoid a margin call is to not have a margin account in the first place. Unless you’re a , buying securities on margin is just not something that’s necessary to earn decent returns over time. But if you do own a margin account, here are a few things you can do to avoid a margin call. Have extra cash on hand. Having extra cash that’s available to be deposited in your account should help you if a margin call comes. Depositing additional funds is one way to get you in compliance with margin requirements. Diversify to limit volatility. should help limit the chances of an extreme decline that might trigger a margin call quickly. Conversely, being overly concentrated in volatile assets could leave you vulnerable to sharp declines that could trigger a margin call. Track your account closely. While most people are better off not looking at their portfolios every day, if you have a significant margin balance you’re going to want to track it daily. This will help you stay aware of where your portfolio stands and whether you’re close to the maintenance margin level. Margin call example How to calculate
Let’s say you’ve deposited $10,000 into your account and borrowed another $10,000 on margin from your broker. You decide to take your $20,000 and invest it in 200 shares of XYZ company, trading for $100 a share. Your maintenance margin is 30 percent. Minimum account value to avoid margin call = Margin loan/(1-maintenance margin) In this example, if the market value of the account falls below $14,285.71, you’ll be at risk of a margin call. So if the stock price of XYZ falls to $71.42 or lower, you’ll be faced with a margin call. Let’s say Company XYZ reports disappointing earnings results and the stock falls to $60 not long after you bought it. The value of the account is now $12,000, or 200 shares at $60 per share, and you’re $1,600 short of the 30 percent margin requirement. You have a few options. Deposit $1,600 of cash into the account to meet the margin call. Transfer $1,600 of marginable securities into the account. Sell $3,333.33 of XYZ stock to pay down the margin loan and boost your account equity to the 30 percent requirement. It should be noted that these are the minimum requirements to bring you back into compliance with the maintenance margin. If the stock continues to decline, you’ll need to put up additional equity. It’s important to remember that the broker will be paid back in full for its loan and any losses are entirely yours. In this example, you deposited $10,000 of your own money and borrowed another $10,000 on margin. The account value declined to $12,000, leaving you with just $2,000 in equity and a decline of 80 percent, despite the stock only falling 40 percent. In reality, your broker may not give you much of a warning about a margin call and could even sell securities in your account without your permission or with no regard to . Margin calls are often triggered during extreme market volatility and brokers may try to reduce their risk by calling in margin loans with little notice. Bottom line
Buying securities on margin is not a good idea for most investors who are saving for a long-term goal such as . A margin call will force you to boost your account equity either by adding additional cash and securities, or by selling existing holdings. Because margin calls often occur during periods of extreme volatility, you may be forced to sell securities at depressed prices. Editorial Disclaimer: All investors are advised to conduct their own independent research into investment strategies before making an investment decision. In addition, investors are advised that past investment product performance is no guarantee of future price appreciation. SHARE: Bankrate reporter Brian Baker covers investing and retirement. He has previous experience as an industry analyst at an investment firm. Baker is passionate about helping people make sense of complicated financial topics so that they can plan for their financial futures. Brian Beers is the managing editor for the Wealth team at Bankrate. He oversees editorial coverage of banking, investing, the economy and all things money. Related Articles