Spot transactions on margin allow you to make spot purchases and sales of cryptocurrencies, on the Kraken exchange, using funds that may exceed the balance of your account. For example:
Suppose you fund your account with $5,000. Using an extension of margin from Kraken, you could buy or sell $10,000 worth of BTC/USD on the BTC/USD order book with this account.
By using a margin extension, you incur corresponding obligations. For example, you will need to pay certain fees, maintain sufficient collateral in your account to satisfy minimum maintenance margin requirements, and return the amount of the margin extension to Kraken through position settlement or one or more closing transactions. We refer to the circumstance where you have entered into a margin transaction, but not yet satisfied these corresponding obligations, as an “open position.” (If, in the example above, you used the margin extension to buy BTC, that is referred to as “opening a ‘long’ BTC position”; if you used the margin extension to sell BTC, this is referred to as “opening a ‘short’ BTC position.”)
Margin transactions involve a high degree of financial risk and are not suitable for everybody. Among other things, using margin to support spot purchases and sales of cryptocurrencies can amplify your gains as well as your losses, and can even rapidly wipe out your account if you aren't careful or the market moves against you.
Sensible risk management should be employed when trading using margin extensions. For example, you should consider setting both a stop to limit loss and a profit target for every open position.
Before using margin extensions to trade cryptocurrencies please take time to fully understand it and the unique risks involved. There are a lot of concepts to learn, but this is your money at stake, so it's worth your time to walk through everything carefully.