You received this notification because your account has a margin shortfall. Zerodha sends both email and voice messages to notify you to transfer sufficient funds by 11:59 PM to cover the shortage.
A margin shortfall is a shortage of funds or margin in your trading account. Exchanges require you to maintain sufficient margins for all your trades.
Why margin shortfalls occur
Even when required margins are collected when you enter a trade, shortfalls can still happen for the following reasons:
- Exiting hedged positions: When you exit a position that provides margin benefit in a hedged trade, the required margin increases, creating a shortfall.
- Expiry of hedged positions: If one or more contracts in your hedged portfolio expire, the required margin may increase because the hedge breaks and you lose the margin benefit.
- Portfolio margin changes: Buying or selling positions might change your overall portfolio margins, resulting in a shortfall.
- Market volatility: The minimum margin required to hold a position might increase due to intraday volatility, leading to a shortfall.