How do you read the terminal's Trade tab?

The Trade tab shows your open positions and their live numbers: price, stop, target, swap, profit. Beginners stare at it constantly and read almost none of it deliberately.

How do you read the terminal's Trade tab? — leverage and margin diagram
Leverage: a small margin controlling a larger position

Walk through what you check:

  • which columns matter to you and why
  • how you read the profit column without overreacting
  • the number that tells you whether you're in trouble (margin level)
How do you read the terminal's Trade tab? — support and resistance diagram
Price bouncing between support and resistance

The leverage and margin guide defines every number in that tab.

Background: Leverage and margin explained: margin calls, stop-outs and how losses grow

Leverage lets you control a large position with a small deposit. It magnifies losses exactly as much as gains, and it is behind most blown trading accounts.

What does 30:1 leverage mean?

You can control a position 30 times larger than your margin deposit. $1,000 of margin opens a $30,000 position, and gains and losses are calculated on the full $30,000.

What is a margin call?

A warning from your broker that losses have reduced your margin level to a set threshold. If it keeps falling, the broker starts closing positions automatically, which is called a stop-out.

Read the full guide

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