In crypto trading, leverage refers to using borrowed capital to make trades. Leverage trading can amplify your buying or selling power, allowing you to trade larger amounts. So even if your initial capital is small, you can use it as collateral to make leveraged trades. While leveraged trading can multiply your potential profits, it is also subject to high risk - especially in the volatile crypto marke
The amount of leverage is described as a ratio, such as 1:5 (5x), 1:10 (10x), or 1:20 (20x). It shows how many times your initial capital is multiplied. For example, imagine that you have $100 in your exchange account but want to open a position worth $1,000 in bitcoin (BTC). With a 10x leverage, your $100 will have the same buying power as $1,000. But keep in mind that the higher the leverage, the higher the risks of getting liquidated.
Imagine you want to open a long position of $10,000 worth of BTC with 10x leverage. This means that you will use $1,000 as collateral. If the price of BTC goes up 20%, you will earn a net profit of $2,000 (minus fees), which is much higher than the $200 you would have made if you traded your $1,000 capital without using leverage. However, if the BTC price drops 20%, your position would be down $2,000. Since your initial capital (collateral) is only $1,000, a 20% drop would cause a liquidation (your balance goes to zero). In fact, you could get liquidated even if the market only drops 10%. The exact liquidation value will depend on the exchange you are using.
To avoid being liquidated, you need to add more funds to your wallet to increase your collateral. In most cases, the exchange will send you a margin call before the liquidation happens (e.g., an email telling you to add more funds).
Don’t do over leverage and first learn with small amount
