Blocked Period

No, a blocked period (in the financial world) has nothing to do with fallopian tubes. But if you're curious, uh...ask your parents.

A blocked period is the length of time during which you can’t access money in your trading account or stocks that you may have put up as collateral.

Perhaps you have misbehaved in some fashion, such as buying stocks and not having the funds to complete the trade, which is called freeriding. Day traders who obviously do a lot of trading might be required to have a certain amount of money in their account at all times, and if they go below that amount the account is blocked. This is especially true for pattern day traders, who buy and sell stocks while borrowing using margin accounts more than a few times a week.

Other naughty investors with a cash account get blocked for as much as 90 days if they keep buying shares when they have not yet received the funds from a previous trade. Then they can only buy stock with completely settled cash.

Let’s say Johnny Hot Shot sells 20 shares of Can’t Lose, Inc. for $30 a share, for total proceeds of $600. He expects the funds to arrive in his account any day now, but meanwhile spots a great deal to buy 10 shares of Facemagazine at $50 a share.

Unfortunately, the $600 hasn’t arrived yet when it comes time to pay for the Facemagazine purchase, so his account gets blocked.