What Is Margin?
The collateral you post to open and maintain a leveraged position. Initial margin is what you commit when opening the trade. Maintenance margin is the minimum equity required to keep the position alive before liquidation kicks in.
Related Terms
- Leverage Borrowed buying power that lets you control a position larger than your capital.
- Liquidation The forced closure of a leveraged position when your margin can no longer cover the losses.
- Cross Margin A margin mode in which your entire available balance backs all open positions.
Where You Will Meet This Term
You will run into margin constantly on any futures exchange, from the order panel to the position dashboard. If you are still building your foundation, our guides on leverage, liquidation and risk management connect the vocabulary into an actual trading process, and the full glossary covers every other term you will encounter.