what is free margin in forex & why does it matter?
Free Margin is the money that is left in your trading account after you open a trade and the broker has locked up the margin required for the trade.
The moment you open a buy or sell position, your forex broker will always withhold the margin so that you cannot withdraw it during an active trade. However, the remainder of the money left in your trading account is called the "free margin" because you are free to withdraw it even during an active trade.
The more losses you sustain during a trade, the lower your free margin falls and the more profits you make, the higher your free margin rises.
The moment your free margin is finished, your margin level would have fallen to 100% and at that point you are at risk of a margin call if you sustain more losses.
When your free margin is finished the broker begins to use your margin collateral deposit to offset any losses and sooner or later the broker will close all your trades so your account does not go into negative balance.
there are two margins in trading, the first one is the margin for opening a trade and you cannot withdraw it one the trade is active.
The second one is free margin and you can withdraw it even when the trade is active. But beware, withdrawing your free margin reduces your margin level which is like a buffer to keep your trades alive in case of losses.
It is from your free margin that you get funds to set your stop loss. Free margin is also what keeps you afloat when your trade is in a loss. if your free margin is too low, a small loss will send you out of the market.
Free margin is the amount of money in your forex account that is not being used to keep your current trades open.
It’s the money you still have available to open new trades or to absorb losses on existing ones.
Free Margin = Equity – Used Margin
Where:
Equity = your current account balance plus or minus your open profits/losses
Used Margin = the money your broker locks up to keep your trades open
📘 Example (Very Simple)
You deposit $100 and open a trade that requires $20 margin.
Balance = $100
Used margin = $20
Equity = $100 (if trade is at break-even)
Free margin = $100 – $20 = $80
You still have $80 available.
If your open trade loses money, your equity drops, and so does your free margin.
What Causes Free Margin to Get Depleted?
1. Trades Moving Into Loss
This is the main reason.
When a trade goes into loss:
Equity decreases
Free margin decreases automatically
Example:
If your open trade is -$30 in loss, your equity becomes $70 → your free margin shrinks.
2. Using High Leverage / Big Lot Sizes
Large trades require more margin, which reduces the amount left as free margin.
High leverage makes it easier to:
Open big positions
Burn through free margin faster if price moves against you
3. Opening Too Many Trades
Each trade requires margin.
If you open many trades at once, your used margin increases and free margin decreases.
4. Trading Highly Volatile Pairs
Pairs like XAU/USD (gold) or GBP/JPY can move quickly.
Fast price changes = fast equity drops = fast free margin depletion.
5. Holding Trades During News
News events can cause sudden spikes against your position, making losses grow quickly, which reduces free margin.
Just like @paul said, free margin is that money that is in your trading account but you are free to withdraw it without the withdrawal affecting your ongoing trades immediately. However, if your ongoing trades keep sliding into loss, then your broker will ask you to put back that free margin you withdrew or else the broker will forcibly close your trades starting from the least profitable one.