IC Markets
Finding a position closed that you did not close yourself is unsettling, but the platform records why. The cause is almost always a stop-out triggered by your margin level falling too low, or one of your own orders (stop-loss, take-profit) doing its job. Less often it is a contract expiry or a corporate action. This guide shows how to read the history and understand each case.
1. Stop-out from a margin call
This is the most common reason. Every broker has a stop-out level, expressed as a margin percentage, often 50 per cent or lower. When your margin level (equity divided by used margin, as a percentage) falls to that threshold, the broker automatically closes your positions, usually the largest losing one first, to stop your account going negative. A fast move against a leveraged position, or several losing trades at once, drives the margin level down until the stop-out fires.
In your trade history, a stop-out is usually labelled "so", "stop out", or shows a comment to that effect. The margin level guide explains how to avoid reaching it.
2. Your own stop-loss or take-profit fired
If you attached a stop-loss or take-profit when you opened the trade, or added one later, the broker closes the position when price hits that level. Check the closing price against the stop-loss and take-profit you set. A close exactly at your take-profit is the system working; a close at your stop, even if price then reversed, is also the system working. It can feel like the broker closed your trade, but you set the instruction.
| History label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tp | Take-profit hit; closed in profit at your target |
| sl | Stop-loss hit; closed at your protective level |
| so / stop out | Margin stop-out; closed by the broker to protect the account |
| Manual close, another device | Closed from the mobile app or web platform |
| Expiry / rollover | A dated contract (some indices, futures CFDs) reached expiry |
3. Contract expiry or rollover
Some CFDs, particularly on certain indices, commodities and futures-based products, are dated contracts that expire. At expiry the broker closes the position at the settlement price and, depending on the product, may open an equivalent position in the next contract. Spot forex and spot gold do not expire, but a futures-based CFD on the same underlying might. Check the instrument specification for an expiry date.
4. Corporate actions and instrument changes
For stock CFDs, events like a merger, a delisting, or a large corporate action can force the broker to close positions in that stock. This is rare in forex and not applicable to currency pairs, but relevant if you also trade single-stock CFDs on the same account.
Beatriz found two gold positions closed overnight and assumed the broker had interfered. Her account history showed "so" against both. A US inflation print had spiked gold against her leveraged positions while she slept, her margin level dropped below the broker's 50 per cent stop-out, and the system closed the larger loser first, then the second. Her stop-losses had been set too wide to help. She now sizes overnight positions smaller and keeps stops tight enough to close her out before a stop-out would.
A stop-out is not the broker taking your money; it is the mechanism that stops your account going deeply negative. If your history shows a position closed with no stop-out, no stop-loss or take-profit, no expiry, and no login from another device, raise it with the broker in writing and, if unresolved, its regulator.
How to read your trade history
- Open the closed-trades or account-history view.
- Find the position and note the close price, the close time, and any comment or label.
- Compare the close price to your stop-loss and take-profit for that trade.
- Check your margin level around the close time; a stop-out means it hit the broker's threshold.
- Check the instrument specification for an expiry date if it is a dated CFD.
The platform always records why a trade closed. In the overwhelming majority of "the broker closed my trade" cases it is a margin stop-out or the trader's own stop-loss doing exactly what it was set to do. Read the label in the history first. A stop-out means your position was too large for your account once the market moved.
Frequently asked
Why did my broker close my trade without me?
Almost always a margin stop-out (your margin level fell to the broker's threshold and it closed positions to protect the account), or your own stop-loss or take-profit order triggering. Less often a dated CFD reached expiry, or a corporate action on a stock CFD forced the close.
What is a stop-out?
An automatic close-out the broker performs when your margin level (equity divided by used margin) falls to its stop-out threshold, often 50 per cent or lower. It usually closes the largest losing position first to stop the account going negative.
How do I know if my trade was stopped out?
Check the account history for a label such as 'so' or 'stop out' against the trade, and look at your margin level around the close time. If it reached the broker's stop-out percentage, that is what closed the position.
My trade closed at my stop-loss then price reversed. Is that the broker's fault?
No. You set the stop-loss level, and the broker closed the trade there as instructed. Price reversing afterwards is common when stops sit at obvious levels. The fix is stop placement and position sizing, not the broker.
Do forex trades expire?
Spot forex and spot gold positions do not expire. Some futures-based CFDs on indices and commodities are dated contracts that expire at a settlement price, after which the broker may roll you into the next contract. Check the instrument specification.