Margin trading: An overview

Introduction:

When you buy shares on a margin, it means that you have bought them with money borrowed from your broker. You use the securities in your account as collateral, to cover any associated credit risk. Click here to watch a video on margin trading .

Margin money is treated as a loan on which you have to pay interest at periodic intervals. For instance, say you want to buy 1,000 shares of a company at Rs 500 per share. However, you possess a limited sum of Rs. 1,00,000. You can pay the broker this sum of money as initial investment. The broker will then fund the remaining amount of Rs 4,00,000. You get a year to repay this amount to the broker. You also need to pledge your existing shares with the brokerage as collateral and pay an interest rate on Rs.4,00,000.

Minimum account balance:

You need to maintain a minimum balance in your account with the broker. If you don’t do this, your broker might advise you to do so or sell your stock . This is called a margin call. If you do not respond to your margin call, your broker might close any positions you have without your approval to maintain this minimum balance. Your broker can also charge you a commission on these transactions.

To receive Rs.4,00,000 needed to buy 1000 shares, the minimum balance in your account was Rs. 1,00,000. This will be in the form of shares. If the value of the shares available in the account falls to Rs 95,000, the broker will then advise you to deposit Rs.5,000 to maintain the minimum balance. In the event that you cannot do this, you will have to sell your stocks till the value of the account touches Rs.1,00,000.

Additional read: Click here to watch a video on the details of Margin trading

What is Margin Trading | Margin Trading Explained @ICICIdirectOfficial

Conclusion:

While the idea of boosting your investment capacity with the help of funds acquired by the margin trading route might be tempting, there are also several risks associated with this. Purchasing several stocks magnifies the risk of losses, but the greatest risk is the margin call. You might have to sell your shares at prices that are unfavourable in order to maintain the minimum balance in your account. Also, paying interest in these circumstances would be an additional worry.

Disclaimer:

ICICI Securities Ltd. ( I-Sec). Registered office of I-Sec is at ICICI Securities Ltd. - ICICI Centre, H. T. Parekh Marg, Churchgate, Mumbai - 400020, India, Tel No : 022 - 2288 2460, 022 - 2288 2470. The contents herein above shall not be considered as an invitation or persuasion to trade or invest.  I-Sec and affiliates accept no liabilities for any loss or damage of any kind arising out of any actions taken in reliance thereon. The contents herein above are solely for informational purpose and may not be used or considered as an offer document or solicitation of offer to buy or sell or subscribe for securities or other financial instruments or any other product. Investments in securities market are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing. The contents herein mentioned are solely for informational and educational purpose.