Margin Requirements

Transactions conducted in the SWFX marketplace may be done on a margin trading basis, enabling a client to execute trades larger than the deposit, amplifying price movement effect. The multi-currency exposure of the account is limited by the total trading line which is calculated by multiplying the Equity of the account by the leverage agreed with Dukascopy Europe. Maximum leverage values applicable to every trading instrument are found in the table below:

Minimum margin requirements

In order to protect clients from incurring liability above their equity and protect Dukascopy Europe from associated risks, the following minimum margin policy applies: The minimum equity requirement for the self-trading account is 20 EUR. For accounts with different base currency the minimum amount of equity is calculated at the corresponding rate of the latest settlement. All open positions may be closed and the account may be blocked should the equity on the account reach the minimum margin requirement.

The minimum margin required to open a position depends on the leverage applicable to the trading instrument and current market prices.

Use of leverage

The Use of Leverage is an indicator showing how much of the collateral is currently used by the exposure on the trading account. It is displayed in percentage in real-time and calculated as follows:

Example:

Margin call and margin cut policy

Margin call (use of leverage >100%) means a situation where the margin requirements do not allow the client to increase exposure on his account. The client may only close the existing unhedged positions or hedge current positions in order to reduce exposure. Despite the margin call level being reached, the positions will not be closed automatically. The automated system will cancel all placed bid/offer orders that can increase the exposure.

Margin cut or cut-off level (use of leverage ≥ 200%) - if the use of leverage reaches or exceeds 200%, Dukascopy Europe has the right (but not the obligation) to fully reduce the client's exposure by closing existing positions and cancelling pending orders.

Stock CFD Maximum Instrument Exposure

Maximum exposure per single stock CFD is 100,000 USD or equivalent in other currencies. Clients may request to increase maximum exposure to 250,000 USD, in this case leverage will be reduced to 1:2 from default setting of 1:5.

Maximum instrument exposure

Maximum net exposure of each currency pair on one trading account is limited to a position of 15 million of primary currency with an exception for HKD/JPY, USD/CNH and USD/MXN which max exposure is limited to 5 million of primary currency and EUR/PLN, TRY/JPY, USD/PLN, CAD/HKD, EUR/CZK, ER/DKK, EUR/HKD, EUR/HUF, EUR/TRY, USD/CZK, USD/DKK, USD/HKD, USD/HUF, USD/ILS, USD/RON, USD/THB and USD/TRY which max exposure is limited to 1 million of primary currency. For precious metals and CFD maximum net exposure is specified in the table below:

Clients may request to waive/increase the maximum exposure limit.

In this case the account leverage and leverage on particular instruments will be reduced.

Risk disclosure

Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. It is highly recommended to maintain the use of leverage at normal levels. The client must always keep in mind that margin trading increases potential loss, as well as potential profit, and invested funds can quickly suffer losses in situations where the market prices exhibit strong volatility, potentially creating an adverse environment for the highly leveraged participant. The client shall be solely responsible for maintaining sufficient margin in relation to the existing positions.

To learn more about Dukascopy Europe ECN Accounts, please write us: send us a message, call us: +371 67 399 000 or alternatively ask for a call-back.