American investors just pushed margin debt to a level never seen before. In June, the total amount borrowed from brokerages to buy securities climbed roughly $87 billion to hit $1.5 trillion, a fresh all-time record.
To put that number in perspective, the pace of growth is what really catches the eye: margin debt surged 53.7% year-over-year from $920.96 billion, meaning investors have added more than half a trillion dollars in leverage in just twelve months.
The leverage ladder keeps extending
The June figure builds on what was already a record-breaking May. According to FINRA data, margin debt hit $1.416 trillion in May, an 8.5% jump from April’s $1.304 trillion. The June increase of approximately $87 billion means the month-over-month growth rate stayed elevated, though slightly below May’s torrid pace.
The trajectory crossed the $1 trillion threshold in mid-2025. It took roughly a year to add another 50% on top of that.
