Leverage indicator on Kite
The leverage indicator on Kite shows the effective leverage of a planned trade, computed as the ratio of notional position value to margin used. It appears on the order ticket alongside the Margin required field.
How it’s displayed
On the order ticket, the leverage indicator is typically shown as:
- “Leverage: 5x” (or similar).
- A multiplier indicating how much of a position you can take per Rs of margin.
For a scrip with 15% margin requirement, leverage = 100/15 ≈ 6.7x.
What it tells you
Leverage indicator:
- Per-scrip leverage for intraday MIS.
- Compares with notional value.
- Pre-trade for decision-making.
It does not show:
- Your account’s effective leverage (which depends on free margin).
- Hedge benefit for multi-leg strategies.
- After-fee or after-charge leverage.
When leverage indicator is useful
- Comparing scrips: Large-cap vs mid-cap intraday capital efficiency.
- Risk assessment: Higher leverage = larger position per unit margin = more sensitivity to price moves.
- Position sizing: Helps decide intraday quantity.
CNC vs MIS
For CNC (delivery), leverage = 1x (no leverage). For MIS, leverage = exchange-determined multiplier.
The indicator typically shows differently:
- CNC: “Delivery (1x)” or no indicator.
- MIS: “Leverage: 5x” or similar.
For F&O
F&O product types (NRML, MIS) have implicit leverage in the SPAN-driven margin. The Kite F&O order ticket shows SPAN + Exposure breakdown rather than a simple leverage number, because F&O leverage isn’t a single multiplier (it depends on hedge state, time to expiry, etc.).
Recent changes
Post-peak margin , the leverage available for equity MIS is constrained to exchange VAR + ELM levels:
- ~5-8x for liquid large-caps.
- Lower for mid / small-cap.
The Kite leverage indicator reflects the current exchange-determined value.
See also
- Margin required on order window
- Margin available / used / cash on Kite funds
- VAR + ELM intraday margin on Zerodha
- SPAN margin on Zerodha
- Exposure margin on Zerodha
- ELM (Extreme Loss Margin) on Zerodha
- Margins and leverage at Zerodha
- Intraday leverages for MIS / CO
- Intraday margin increases on volatile days
- Leverage against available funds
- Leverage for delivery / carry-over positions
- Hedged positions margin benefit on Zerodha
- Naked option selling margin on Zerodha
- Margin shortfall and auto-square-off
- Margin call timeline at Zerodha
- 50:50 cash collateral rule explained
- SEBI peak margin rules explained
- Upfront margin requirements post-2020
- Zerodha margin calculator
- Cover order (Zerodha)
- Bracket order (Zerodha)
- MIS product type
- CNC product type
- NRML product type
- Kite Positions tab explained
- Futures and options
- Zerodha
- Kite (Zerodha)
External references
References
- Zerodha, Margin and leverage display on Kite, support.zerodha.com.
- NSE Clearing, VAR + ELM framework, nseclearing.com.