Why was my Kraken position liquidated?

If your Kraken position gets liquidated, it’s because your equity dropped below the maintenance margin—often due to sharp price moves or high leverage. Check your dashboard for alerts and liquidation details to avoid repeating the mistake.

Jul 25, 2025 at 07:14 pm

Understanding Liquidation on Kraken

When your position on Kraken is liquidated, it means the exchange automatically closed your leveraged trade because your account equity fell below the maintenance margin requirement. This typically happens when the market moves against your position, and your available margin can no longer support the leverage you’re using. Maintenance margin is the minimum amount of equity you must maintain in your margin account to keep a leveraged position open. If your equity drops to or below this threshold, Kraken triggers a liquidation to prevent further losses that could exceed your account balance.

Common Triggers for Liquidation

Several factors can cause your Kraken position to be liquidated:

• A sharp adverse price movement in the asset you’re trading.
• Insufficient collateral relative to the size of your position.
• High leverage ratios that amplify both gains and losses.
• Failure to monitor your position during volatile market conditions.
  

  For example, if you opened a long position on BTC/USD with 5x leverage and the price dropped significantly, your unrealized loss would reduce your margin level. If that level hits the liquidation threshold—often visible in your Kraken Futures or Margin dashboard—the system will close the position automatically.

  How to Check Your Liquidation Details on Kraken

  
  To understand exactly why your position was liquidated, follow these steps:
• Log in to your Kraken account and navigate to the Futures or Margin trading section.
• Click on “Positions” or “Order History” depending on the product used.
• Locate the closed position marked as “Liquidated.”
• Review the liquidation price, entry price, and maintenance margin level at the time of closure.

• Check your email or notifications for a liquidation alert sent by Kraken.
  

  These details help you verify whether the liquidation was due to a genuine margin shortfall or a temporary market spike that triggered the system prematurely.

  Calculating Your Liquidation Price

  
  Kraken uses a transparent formula to determine your liquidation price. For a long position, it’s calculated as:

  Liquidation Price = Entry Price × (1 - (Initial Margin - Maintenance Margin) / Leverage)

  For a short position:

  Liquidation Price = Entry Price × (1 + (Initial Margin - Maintenance Margin) / Leverage)

  Initial margin is the percentage of the position value you must deposit to open the trade (e.g., 20% for 5x leverage). Maintenance margin is usually lower (e.g., 5–10%). If the market price hits the calculated liquidation level, Kraken’s system will execute a market order to close your position.
  

  Preventing Future Liquidations

  
  To avoid being liquidated again:

• Use lower leverage ratios to reduce risk exposure.
• Set manual stop-loss orders to exit positions before they reach the liquidation threshold.
• Monitor your margin level in real-time using Kraken’s dashboard.
• Add more collateral to your margin account if the market moves against you.
• Avoid holding positions during high-volatility events like macroeconomic announcements or major crypto news.
  

  Remember, Kraken does not provide margin calls—it liquidates automatically. So proactive management is essential.

  Frequently Asked Questions

  Q: Can I get my funds back after a Kraken liquidation?
  
  No, once a position is liquidated, the trade is closed at market price. Any remaining equity after covering losses stays in your account. You cannot reverse or appeal a liquidation—it is a final action taken to protect both you and Kraken from negative balances.

  Q: Why did my position liquidate even though the price moved back in my favor?
  
  Liquidation is based on real-time price feeds and margin levels. If the price briefly dipped to your liquidation level—even for seconds—the system executes the closure. It does not wait for price recovery. This is common during flash crashes or illiquid market conditions.

  Q: Does Kraken warn me before liquidating my position?
  
  Yes, Kraken sends email and in-app alerts when your margin level approaches the liquidation threshold. These warnings appear in the “Margin Warnings” section of your dashboard. Ensure your notification settings are enabled to receive timely alerts.

  Q: How is the liquidation price different from the stop-loss price?
  
  The liquidation price is determined by Kraken’s margin system and is not adjustable. A stop-loss is a user-defined order that triggers before liquidation. Setting a stop-loss at a level above the liquidation price gives you control over when to exit, potentially preserving more capital than a forced liquidation.