Dynamic leverage: when the broker reduces leverage
A copy account at Vantage is set by default with leverage of 1:500. Since spring 2026, that leverage is no longer permanent: at certain times of the week, the broker temporarily brings it down to 1:200 for new positions. This is what it calls dynamic leverage. This guide explains when it happens, what it concretely changes on an account, and why margin moves at those moments.
What dynamic leverage is
Leverage sets the share of capital the broker sets aside for each position: the margin. At 1:500, a 0.1 lot position on AUDCAD, that is 10,000 Australian dollars, requires about 20 Australian dollars of margin. At 1:200, the same position requires 50, two and a half times more.
Dynamic leverage means applying that reduced leverage during precise time windows, then returning to the usual leverage once the window ends. It only concerns accounts and products whose leverage exceeds 1:200. An account set at 1:100 sees no difference.
When it applies
At Vantage, since 13 March 2026, Forex leverage is capped at 1:200 for positions opened:
- around major economic announcements: from 15 minutes before to 5 minutes after the release. For the strategy's pairs, these are mainly the US figures (Fed rate decision, inflation, jobs, GDP, retail sales) and the inflation, activity and growth figures of other countries, Australia, New Zealand and Canada included;
- around market opens and closes: 3 hours before the Friday close, 30 minutes before the daily close from Monday to Thursday, and 30 minutes after the Monday open;
- around public holidays when the gold market is closed all day, with the same timings as Friday and Monday, since 27 April 2026.
In short, the leverage applied to new Forex positions (broker server time):
| When | Leverage | Length of the cap |
|---|---|---|
| Major economic announcement (rates, inflation, jobs, GDP, retail sales…) | 1:200 | From 15 min before to 5 min after |
| Market close, Monday to Thursday | 1:200 | The last 30 minutes |
| Market close, Friday | 1:200 | The last 3 hours |
| Market open, Monday | 1:200 | The first 30 minutes |
| Day before and after a gold public holiday (market closed all day) | 1:200 | 3 h before the close, 30 min after the open |
| All the rest of the time | Account leverage (1:500 by default) |
Every Friday, the broker publishes in the notifications on its website the list of the following week's announcements that trigger the cap. Our guide Why currencies move explains what those announcements are.
What it changes on a copy account
Positions already open do not change size. Dynamic leverage applies to positions opened during the window. A position opened the day before at 1:500 keeps its original margin.
A position opened during the window sets aside more margin. If the strategy opens a position in those minutes, the copy opens it too, but with margin computed at 1:200. The account's free margin therefore falls more than usual, and so does the margin level. At the end of the window, the usual leverage is restored and the margin set aside comes back down.
The risk is a lack of free margin at the wrong moment. On an account already loaded with positions at an unrealised loss, reduced free margin brings the stop out closer, which Vantage sets at a 20% margin level. In the extreme case, a position copied during the window may not open for lack of sufficient margin; the copied account and the strategy's account are then no longer quite identical, one of the causes described in Why your results differ.
Withdrawals are also restricted during these windows. A withdrawal or transfer requested during a window is accepted only if the account's equity stays above the position risk divided by 200. In plain terms, an account that uses much of its leverage cannot withdraw money in those minutes.
What it does not change
- The global stop loss watches equity, not margin. It is not triggered by a change in margin.
- The result of positions does not depend on leverage: a 0.1 lot position gains or loses the same, whether it was opened at 1:500 or at 1:200. Only the margin set aside changes.
- The swap, the spread and the profit share do not depend on these windows.
What to take from it
Dynamic leverage is a precaution taken by the broker at the moments when the market moves most. For a copy account, it is a reminder of one simple thing: free margin is a reserve, and that reserve must stay wide. An account set at the minimum, with little free margin, is more exposed to these windows than an account that keeps a reserve. Our guide Reading your account explains how to follow free margin and the margin level.
And at PlanetFinance?
The strategy trades AUDCAD and NZDCAD, two pairs affected by US, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian announcements. Positions may be opened during these windows. The leverage rules applied by the broker are the same for the strategy's account and for the accounts that copy it; what differs from one account to another is the free margin available at that moment, hence the reserve before the stop out. The figures in this guide are those announced by Vantage as of 22 October 2026; the broker may change them.
Further reading
- Leverage in Forex
- Reading your account: balance, equity, margin
- Why currencies move
- The glossary: leverage, margin, in plain words.
This guide is for information only. It does not constitute investment advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Trading Forex with leverage carries a high risk of capital loss.