margin
noun [ C ]
uk/ˈmɑːdʒɪn/ usthe amount by which one thing is more or less than another:
by a margin of sth The president won the election by a tiny margin.
a wide/large/comfortable margin They are the largest building society by a comfortable margin.
a narrow/small/slim margin
a 40-vote/5-point/2-to-1, etc. margin On the New York Stock Exchange, declines outpaced gainers by a 4-3 margin.
Kennedy's margin of victory was only 719,000.
ACCOUNTING, COMMERCE
the difference between the total cost of making and selling something and the price it is sold for:
a low/poor margin Intense competition leads to lower prices and margins.
a high/good margin They wanted to produce higher margin products.
a margin on sth The company will make a whopping 80% margin on this sale.
Our increased profits are due to improved margins.
BANKING
the difference between the amount of a loan and the value of the collateral (= property to be given to the lender if the money is not paid back):
The risk of default needs to be correctly priced in the bank's loan margins.
FINANCE, STOCK MARKET
money, shares, etc. that a client gives to a broker to hold, that protect the broker from loss on a contract
Compare
margin account
on margin
FINANCE
If you buy shares on margin, you borrow money in order to do this:
Executives bought stocks on margin, putting up cash for only 10 per cent of the purchase price.
See also
gross margin
net interest margin
net margin
operating margin
profit margin