Current Market Value - CMV

The resale valuation attached to a security held long in an investor's margin account. The current market value is usually taken as the closing price for listed securities or the bid price offered for over-the-counter (OTC) securities.

In a margin account, an investor essentially engages in owning securities purchased for a total price greater than the amount of cash he/she has in his/her account; the investor borrows the excess cash needed from his/her brokerage to fund the remainder of the purchase.

Due to this leveraged purchase situation, the brokerage account values the investor's assets periodically, and if the total account value falls below the required margin amount, the brokerage will require the investor to top up the account with cash or to liquidate some or all of his or her securities into cash. The current market value (CMV) is the standardized price that is taken periodically to track the change in value of the investor's assets.