Balance
Balance is your account value excluding open positions - realized profit and loss only, before floating moves are counted.
Balance is your account value from closed trades only. With open positions, equity (balance plus floating profit or loss) is the number that matters.
Balance is the total value of your trading account from closed trades, deposits and withdrawals, before accounting for open positions. It only changes when positions close. With an open position, equity (balance plus floating profit or loss) is the number that matters, because that is what a margin call and your real account value are based on.
How It Works
- Changes only on closed trades, deposits and withdrawals
- Floating profit or loss does not touch it
- Equity = balance +/- floating P&L
Trading Tips
A green balance with a losing open position is still a losing account
Check equity, not balance, before adding positions
Closed winners and losers move the balance; open ones move only equity
Balance Example
Say your balance shows $10,000 with a trade floating minus $1,500. The balance still reads $10,000 until you close, but equity reads $8,500 and margin level divides by that. The statement number comforts. The live number governs.
How Traders Use Balance
Judge safety by equity, performance by balance growth over months. Deposits inflate balance without skill, and open losses hide behind it. Withdrawals should come from balance gains, never from margin hope.
Related Terms
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