A Case of The Shorts

You shorted 5,000 shares of a particular stock at a price of $30 per share. The initial margin is 50 percent, and the maintenance margin is 40 percent. What does your account balance sheet look like following the short?

Following the short, your account becomes:

Assets

 

Liabilities and Account Equity

 

Proceeds from sale

$150,000

Short position

$150,000

Initial margin deposit

75,000

Account equity

75,000

Total

$225,000

Total

$225,000

Notice that you shorted $150,000 worth of stock, so, with a 50 percent margin requirement, you deposited $75,000.