After alot of torture I think that I can disregard the virtual FX positions shown on the TWS. They are sort of an accounting thing and nothing to do with the ownership of any assets. I found a couple of debates about this, the best of them is here: http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=211256&perpage=6&highlight=virtual fx&pagenumber=1 Now, when I trade FX, I find I have the option of trading it on the virtual FX account - So, is it real or not, they certainly real losses or gains expected when trading FX. Can anyone help me understand this? What effects the bottomline balance, if my base is USD and I am long JPY in the virtual account and JPY moves up do I gain or not? Thank you for any help