What is an account balance?

The amount of money a user has stored in a financial repository.

Account balance with a bank account

When you check your account balance at your bank, it will show the amount of cash you have stored with the bank.

If you have pending transactions, your account balance might be greater than the amount that is actually available to you. That is because the money needed to make those transactions has not yet been removed from your account.

Account balance with a stockbroker

An account balance with a brokerage is likely to look different from a bank account balance. That’s because you don’t just keep cash with a broker.

Instead, the account balance that you see when you check your brokerage account will be the sum of any cash you hold and any stocks you have bought.

Because the value of stocks changes all the time, your account balance will also vary more frequently with stockbroker than a bank.

More terms

Spot Rate

The currency exchange rate a bank quotes, valid with immediate effect.
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Zero-Sum Game

A situation in which one person's gain is another's loss.
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Quick ratio

Learn what quick ratio stands for in financial terms and how to calculate it.
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Accrued interest

The interest earned on a gilt since the last dividend date. When buying a gilt, the buyer pays the accrued interest at the time of a transaction to the seller in addition to the clean price of the gilt
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Xetra

A trading venue operated by the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
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Retail Prices Index (RPI)

An index published each month by the Office for National Statistics, which measures the level of retail prices in the UK. Cash flows on all index-linked gilts are linked to the RPI.
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Geometric Mean Return

A way of calculating compound returns on an investment or savings over a set period of time.
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Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)

An investment trust specialised in investing in commercial property such as parking garages or GP offices.
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Margin call

Learn what a margin call stands for in financial terms.
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