How much will brokerage customers in the US owe in their margin accounts in February 2026?
Closing Mar 01, 2026 08:01AM UTC
A margin account is "a brokerage account with which investors are permitted to sell securities short or borrow money to buy securities based on the funds in the account," and the debit balance on a margin account is the amount an account holder owes to the brokerage for funds they have borrowed (Investopedia - Margin Account, Investopedia - Debit Balance). The total amount of debit balances in margin accounts in the US surpassed $1 trillion for the first time in June 2025, reflecting "exuberance" in the stock market (MSN [Barron's], Yahoo [Business Insider], Advisor Perspectives). The question will be suspended on 28 February 2026 and the outcome determined using data as reported by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) (FINRA, see "Debit Balances in Customers' Securities Margin Accounts"). As of the launch of this question, FINRA reported total debit balances in margin accounts in December 2024 at $899,168 million, or $899.168 billion.
Confused? Check our FAQ or ask us for help. To learn more about Good Judgment and Superforecasting, click here.
To learn more about how you can become a Superforecaster, see here. For other posts from our Insights blog, click here.
| Possible Answer | Crowd Forecast | Change in last 24 hours | Change in last week | Change in last month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than $625 billion | 0.50% | 0% | 0% | +0.40% |
| At least $625 billion, but less than $700 billion | 0.50% | 0% | 0% | +0.40% |
| At least $700 billion, but less than $775 billion | 0.50% | 0% | -0.10% | +0.30% |
| At least $775 billion, but less than $850 billion | 0.50% | 0% | -0.20% | +0.10% |
| At least $850 billion, but less than $925 billion | 0.50% | 0% | -0.30% | -1.30% |
| At least $925 billion, but less than $1.000 trillion | 1.60% | 0% | -0.50% | -2.70% |
| At least $1.000 trillion, but less than $1.075 trillion | 7.90% | -0.50% | -1.30% | -5.90% |
| At least $1.075 trillion, but less than $1.150 trillion | 18.40% | -0.20% | -0.70% | -4.70% |
| At least $1.150 trillion, but less than $1.225 trillion | 33.00% | -0.40% | -1.80% | -0.70% |
| At least $1.225 trillion, but less than $1.300 trillion | 25.00% | +0.80% | +4.90% | +9.80% |
| $1.300 trillion or more | 11.60% | +0.30% | 0% | +4.30% |