real vs virtual FX on IB

Discussion in 'Interactive Brokers' started by trading1, Feb 10, 2011.

  1. On the acocunt window of the TWS theres a "real FX balance" and a "virtual FX position" . Apparently, the real FX shows "value for all assets sorted by currency", and the virtual FX shows " activity only for currency pair trades".

    I can't translate this - what does it mean?

    I'd like to know what reflects the change in currency, if I hold 100k CAD in the real fx, and I'm -200k usd.cad in the virtual FX, then what happens if cad moves up 1 pip, am I up $10 as suggested by the real fx or am I up $20 as suggested by the virtual FX?

    Thank you for any help in sorting this out
     
  2. The virtual fx position is just a reference for trading. It should reflect what's actually happening in your account, but for various reasons, can get out of synch. You can correct or delete a position in the virtual fx by right clicking on the currency pair and selecting the adjustment line.

    What's in your account window is the real deal! In your example, USD.CAD going down by 1 pip would increase in value a $100k CAD position by $10.