If you buy/sell a stock with 100% of your account (not on margin, but with a margin account) will it just be settled immediately, or do you need to be on margin and pay interest to be able to trade with the unsettled funds?
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This likely varies by brokerage, but at least for Vanguard, you can use unsettled funds to buy new securities without paying margin interest.
My understanding of this is that although you don't officially get the funds from the sale until Trade+2 days, you also don't officially pay for the new securities until T+2. On normal circumstances, brokerages will set that money aside from your balance, so you don't double-spend, but it's not handed over to the seller until settlement.
Earth
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In a cash account, you can use the proceeds from selling a fully paid for and settled security for the purchase of another security. However, you cannot sell the second stock prior to the settlement of the first stock sale. Otherwise, it's a violation.
In a margin account, you do not have to wait until settlement to use the capital again. You can trade as frequently as you like (assuming that you're not violating the Pattern Day Trader rule) and there is no borrow charge involved.
Bob Baerker
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