Understanding Balances in Gate Futures: Available, Margin, and Total

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Key points

• Gate Futures displays three types of fundamental balances: total, portfolio, and margin, each crucial for understanding the user's trading activity.

• In Gate Futures, you can review your transaction history to gain a comprehensive view of all the trades linked to the balance of your futures portfolio.

• Trading commissions, insurance settlement fees, and funding rates are some of the reasons you might find discrepancies in your balances.

When trading on Gate Futures, users may encounter different types of balances displayed in their accounts. These balances are essential indicators of the user's trading activity on the platform.

Understanding each type of balance and how they relate to each other can help you effectively manage your trading strategies and avoid unnecessary losses.

The futures wallet in Gate Futures displays four distinct types of balances: portfolio balance, available balance, margin balance, and total balance. Each balance serves a specific purpose and reflects the user's available funds, profits, and losses.

This article breaks down the different types of balances and the information they provide to the user. Note that it focuses on the futures wallet balance of a user's account and does not relate to spot or margin wallet balances.

What is wallet balance?

The portfolio balance represents the total value of the cryptocurrency held in a user's futures wallet.

Opening new positions will not affect the user's portfolio balance. Open positions require an initial margin, which is taken from the available balance. The portfolio balance will change when transferring funds to or from the wallet. It will also vary based on realized PNL, funding rates, liquidation, and fees from reimbursements, rewards, or bonuses.

Wallet balance = Total net transfer + Total realized profit + Total net financing rate - Total commission

The balance only reflects the realized PNL and does not take into account unrealized gains or losses from open positions. In other words, the balance of the futures portfolio only includes funds that are currently not being used as collateral.

What is the available balance?

The available balance in Gate Futures represents the funds that a user can access to open new positions or meet margin requirements on existing positions.

To calculate the available balance, subtract the unrealized PNL and the initial margin from the portfolio balance, which refers to the total value of the funds held in the Gate Futures portfolio.

Available balance = Wallet balance - Initial margin + Unrealized PNL

Unrealized PNL is the current gain or loss of open positions and can significantly affect the available balance. You can check your realized and unrealized PNL from the "Orders and Positions" panel located at the bottom of the futures trading interface. In the "Positions" tab, you will find the details of your open positions, including the entry price, mark price, margin index, and unrealized PNL, among other relevant information.

What is margin balance?

The margin balance is calculated by adding/subtracting the unrealized PNL from your open positions to/from your portfolio balance. The margin balance reflects the funds used as margin to maintain your current positions. It is essential to differentiate between margin balance and portfolio balance, as the former represents the amount of funds you have already used to maintain open positions.

Margin balance = Portfolio balance + Unrealized PNL

In other words, the margin balance represents the total funds that are currently being used as collateral for your open positions.

The settlement is activated when Margin balance < Maintenance margin.

What is the total balance?

The total balance comprises the sum of your wallet balance and the margin balance, including unrealized losses and gains (PNL). It represents the total value of the account. It includes all the funds in your account, including those used as collateral for open positions.

An important aspect to consider is that the dollar balance displayed is an approximation. It may vary slightly from the actual balance due to fluctuations in cryptocurrency prices.

Misconceptions about the balance in Gate Futures

If you find it difficult to understand your balances or detect any discrepancies, consider the following steps.

Check your transaction history for a comprehensive overview of all operations related to your futures wallet balance. Use it to verify if you have been liquidated, if you paid a funding fee or a trading commission, transferred funds, or incurred any losses, among other things.

Let's look at some common reasons why you may find discrepancies in your balances:

Stop-market orders executed at a different price

When you choose the Mark Price as the activation price when placing a stop-market order, the order will be executed instantly at the best available price. However, the execution price of your order may vary from the stop price, especially if there is a significant gap between the mark price and the last price.

Trading commissions and insurance settlement fees

To accurately calculate your net profit, make sure to include the trading fees for both opening and closing the position.

Additionally, when a user's position is liquidated, a insurance settlement fee will be charged and added to the Insurance Fund. The Insurance Fund covers negative wallet balances and aims to ensure that all users receive their payout earnings. This fee is recorded as "Insurance Settlement" in your transaction history.

Funding Rate

The funding rate is the amount that a trader pays or receives in perpetual futures contracts during a funding round. These fees are not paid to Gate, but between users to maintain market stability. When funding rates are applied, they will be added or subtracted from the available balance in your Futures Wallet. If your wallet balance is insufficient, it will be deducted from the margin of your position, which may also affect your liquidation price.

Negative balance

If your balance is negative or your position seems to be "stuck", click on the + sign next to "Margin", as shown in the image. If eligible, the issue will be resolved using the insurance fund.

There is no available balance in the futures wallet

When trading on Gate Futures, you may not have any available balance in your account. If you encounter this issue, there are a few things you can check. First, make sure that you do not have any open orders that are not just reducing orders. These orders could be reducing your available balance, so canceling them may help you regain access to your funds.

Another possibility is that you have open positions with negative profits, which may restrict your available balance. To resolve this, you can add more margin to your account or reduce your open positions.

Finally, if you have activated the "reduce only" option, your available balance will appear as zero. This is the case when you do not have any position for the specific trading pair for which you are placing an order.

In this case, you can disable the "reduce only" option, as shown in the image, to restore your available balance.

By considering these factors and taking the necessary measures, you can ensure that your available balance remains accessible, allowing you to make informed trading decisions.

Risk Warning: This content is presented to you "as is" for general informational and educational purposes only, without any representation or warranty of any kind. It should not be construed as financial or investment advice, nor is it intended to recommend the purchase of any specific product or service. The prices of digital assets can be volatile. The value of your investment may go up or down and you may not recover the amount invested. You are solely responsible for your investment decisions and Gate is not responsible for any losses you may incur. For more information, please refer to our Terms of Use and Risk Warning.

The products and services mentioned in this document may be restricted in certain jurisdictions or regions or for certain users in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. You are responsible for informing yourself and observing any restrictions and/or requirements imposed regarding the access and use of any product and service offered or available through Gate in each country or region from which you or your benefit. Gate reserves the right to change, modify, or impose additional restrictions regarding the access and use of any product and/or service offered from time to time, at its sole discretion, at any time and without prior notice.