What negative balance protection means
Your balance is the money in your trading account after closed trades. Equity is the balance plus or minus the profit or loss of open positions.
If a losing trade closes at a price so bad that the loss is bigger than your equity, the balance falls below zero. Without protection, that negative amount would be a debt you owe the broker. Negative balance protection means the broker removes that debt, so the account returns to zero instead of staying in the minus.
When a balance can go negative
A broker closes your positions when your margin level falls to the stop out level. Margin level is your equity divided by the margin used by open positions, shown as a percentage. In normal conditions the platform closes positions before your equity runs out.
The problem is a gap. A gap is when the price jumps from one level to another with no trading in between. Common causes:
- Market open after the weekend. News over the weekend can make the price open far from Friday's close.
- High-impact news. Data releases or central bank decisions can make prices jump in seconds. Exness applies higher margin requirements to orders opened from 15 minutes before to 90 seconds after high-impact news. That shows how sharply conditions can change around news.
- Thin liquidity. At quiet hours, when few people are trading, prices can skip levels.
A stop out order is filled at the next available price, not at the price where your margin level hit the limit. If the price gapped past that point, the closing price can be much worse. The loss can then be larger than your whole equity, and the balance becomes negative.
The risk of this rises with leverage, position size and holding trades through weekends or news.
How Exness handles a negative balance
Exness states its policy in plain terms: "If an order experiences a stop out that would result in a negative balance for the trading account, it will be restored to 0." In short: balance reset to 0 after stop out.
So if a gap pushes your account below zero during a stop out, the stated policy is that you do not owe the negative amount. The account is set back to zero.
Exness also publishes margin call and stop out levels by account type:
| Account | Margin call | Stop out |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Cent | 60% | 0% |
| Standard | 60% | 0% |
| Pro | 30% | 0% |
| Raw Spread | 30% | 0% |
| Zero | 30% | 0% |
Some points to note:
- The stop out level on stocks can be raised during stock daily break hours or in case of increased market risk.
- Exness says: 0% stop out not supported in some countries; may vary.
- Stop out protection is offered on all accounts (not for KE/JO entities; may be unavailable with unlimited leverage).
- Different rules can apply depending on which Exness entity holds your account. Where to check: shown in the Personal Area footer. See Entities and regulators.
Conditions can change. Before you rely on any of this, check the current terms in your Personal Area, on the official Exness site and in the client agreement.
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Partner link · trading carries a high risk of loss
What the protection does not cover
Negative balance protection only stops the account from staying below zero. It does not protect the money you deposited.
- You can lose your full deposit. With a stop out level of 0%, positions can stay open until equity is almost gone. When stop out happens, most or all of your money in that account may already be lost.
- It does not limit the size of a loss. It only removes the part of the loss that goes beyond zero.
- It does not stop a margin call or stop out. These still happen as normal.
- It works per trading account. Money in other accounts is a separate matter. Check how this applies to you in the official terms.
Leveraged CFD and forex trading can lose money fast. Leverage makes every price move count more on your equity, in both directions. Read Leverage and Margin call and stop out before you trade.
Ways to limit losses yourself
- Use a stop loss on each trade. Remember that a stop loss can also fill at a worse price after a gap.
- Keep the position size small compared with your equity. The calculators help you check margin and pip value.
- Choose leverage you can handle in your account settings.
- Think before holding positions over the weekend or through major news.
- Practise first on a demo account.
More on this: Risk management.
For Pakistani readers, the legal status of offshore trading platforms also matters. See Is Exness legal.
Frequent questions
Does Exness have negative balance protection?
Exness states that if a stop out would leave a negative balance, the account is restored to zero. Check the current terms in your Personal Area or on the official site.
Can I owe Exness money after a gap?
Under the stated policy, a negative balance caused by a stop out is reset to zero. Terms can differ by entity, so check which entity holds your account.
Does balance protection mean I cannot lose my deposit?
No. You can lose everything you deposited. The protection only removes debt below zero.
Why did my stop out close at a worse price than expected?
A stop out fills at the next available price. After a gap or during fast news moves, that price can be far from the stop out level.
Is a stop loss enough to prevent a negative balance?
Not always. A stop loss can also fill past its level when the price gaps. It reduces risk but does not guarantee the exit price.
