Futures & FOPs Margin Requirements

US Futures and FOPs Margin Overview

Futures and FOPs Margin Requirements


As a resident of the US trading futures and FOPs in US you are subjected to Risk-based margin. The complete margin requirement details are listed in the section below.



Futures Margin


Futures margin requirements are based on risk-based algorithms. All margin requirements are expressed in the currency of the traded product and can change frequently. Risk-based margin algorithms define a standard set of market outcome scenarios with a one-day time horizon. A price scanning range is defined for each product by the respective clearing house.

In addition to the exchange scanning ranges, we will consider additional scenarios which incorporate extreme moves in the underlying. Accordingly, we may require margin over and above the exchange-mandated margin on short options in order to account for the risk inherent in an extreme market move. You can view the current projected margin requirements on a specific option or futures order that you are considering before you submit the order by creating the order in our trading platform and using the right-click menu to "Check Margin" before you transmit.

Note that for commodities including futures, single-stock futures and futures options, margin is the amount of cash a client must put up as collateral to support a futures contract. For securities, margin is the amount of cash a client borrows.

Futures margin trading in an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is subject to substantially higher margin requirements than in a non-IRA margin account. Margin rates in an IRA margin account may meet or exceed three times the overnight futures margin requirement imposed in a non-IRA margin account.

Margin requirements for futures are set by each exchange.

Margin Requirements

Information not available yet

Futures - Intraday Margin Requirements


Intraday Futures Margin and Futures Options Hours

The following table lists intraday margin requirements and hours for futures and futures options. Each day at 'Intraday End Time' the futures contract will revert back to the full overnight margin requirement until the 'Intraday Start Time' the next day. Margin requirements will always be applied at 100% for spread transactions. If an account holds futures, futures options for US products, or future and index options for European products on the same underlying, intraday margin does not apply.


Exchange Symbol Description Intraday Start Time4 Intraday End Time4
ECBOT ZB 30-year T-BONDS 7:20 15:00
ECBOT ZN 10-YR TREAS. 7:20 15:00
ECBOT ZF 5-YR TREAS. 7:20 15:00
ECBOT ZT 2-YR TREAS. 7:20 15:00
ECBOT Z3N 3-YR TREAS. 8:30 15:00
ECBOT ZQ 30 Day Federal Funds 7:20 15:00
ECBOT TN 10-YR T-NOTES 7:20 15:00
ECBOT UB Ultra T-BONDS 7:20 15:00
ECBOT YM MINI DJIA 8:30 15:00
ECBOT MYM Micro E-mini DJIA 8:30 15:00
GLOBEX MNQ Micro E-mini NASDAQ-100 8:30 15:00
GLOBEX MES Micro E-mini S&P 500 8:30 15:00
GLOBEX M2K Micro E-mini Russell 2000 8:30 15:00
GLOBEX GE EURODOLLARS 7:20 15:00
GLOBEX ES MINI-S&P 500 8:30 15:00
GLOBEX NKD NIKKEI 225 8:00 15:00
GLOBEX NQ NASDAQ E-MINI 8:30 15:00
GLOBEX SP S&P 500 8:30 15:00
NYMEX CL Crude oil 9:00 15:45
NYMEX GC Gold 8:20 15:45
NYMEX HG Copper 8:10 15:45
NYMEX HH Nautral Gas Last Day Financial Future 9:00 15:45
NYMEX HO Heating Oil 9:00 15:45
NYMEX MGC E-Micro Gold 8:30 15:45
NYMEX NG Natural gas 9:00 15:45
NYMEX QC Copper 8:10 15:45
NYMEX QG Natural gas E-Mini 9:00 15:45
NYMEX QH Heating Oil E-Mini 9:00 15:45
NYMEX QI Silver Mini 8:25 15:45
NYMEX QM Crude oil E-Mini 9:00 15:45
NYMEX QO Gold 8:20 15:45
NYMEX QU Unleaded Gasoline E-Mini 9:00 15:45
NYMEX RB RBOB Gasoline 9:00 15:45
NYMEX SI Silver 8:25 15:45
NYMEX SIL Silver 8:25 15:45
NYBOT TF RUSSELL 2000 9:30 16:00
Exchange Symbol Description Intraday Start Time4 Intraday End Time4
CDE BAX Bankers Acceptance 6:00 15:45
CDE CGB 10-year Canadian Government Bond 6:00 15:45
CDE CGF 5-year Canadian Government Bond 6:00 15:45
CDE SCF S&P/TSX Composite 9:30 15:45
CDE SXF S&P 60 9:30 15:45
CDE SXM Mini S&P 60 9:30 15:45
Exchange Symbol Description Intraday Start Time4 Intraday End Time4
IDEM FTMIB S&P MIB30 Index 9:00 17:35
IDEM MINI Mini S&P MIB30 Index 9:00 17:35
DTB FDAX DAX Index 7:50 21:45
DTB FDXM DAX Index Mini 7:50 21:45
DTB FESX DJ EURO STOXX 7:50 21:45
DTB FGBL Euro BUND 7:50 21:45
DTB FGBM Euro BOBL 7:50 21:45
DTB FGBS Euro SCHATZ 7:50 21:45
DTB FGBX Euro BUXL 7:50 18:45
DTB FOAT Euro-OAT French Government Bond Index 7:50 18:45
SOFFEX FSMI Swiss Market Index 8:00 17:15
ICEEU I EURIBOR THREE MONTH EURO 7:00 16:15
ICEEU L THREE MONTH SHORT STERLING 7:30 16:15
ICEEU R Long Gilt 8:00 16:15
ICEEU Z FTSE 100 (NEW STYLE) 7:00 20:45
IPE WTI Light WTI Crude 1:00 20:45
MEFFRV IBX IBEX-35 9:00 17:15
MEFFRV MIX IBEX-MINI 9:00 17:15
FTA FTI AEX INDEX FUT 8:00 18:15
FTA MFA AEX INDEX FUT 8:00 18:00
MONEP FCE CAC 40 8:00 18:00
MONEP MFC CAC 40 8:00 18:00
Exchange Symbol Description Intraday Start Time5 Intraday End Time5
SNFE AM SPI 200 Mini 9:50 16:15
SNFE AP SPI 200 9:50 16:15
Exchange Symbol Description Intraday Start Time4 Intraday End Time4
HKFE A505 ISHARES FTSE A50 CHINA INDEX 9:00 15:45
HKFE HHI5 HSCEI INDEX 8:45 16:00
HKFE HSI5 HANG SENG INDEX 8:45 16:00
HKFE MCH5 HSCEI INDEX 8:45 16:00
HKFE MHI5 HANG SENG INDEX 8:45 16:00
Exchange Symbol Description Intraday Start Time4 Intraday End Time4
OSE.JPN NK225 NIKKEI 225 08:45 14:55
OSE.JPN NK225M NIKKEI 225 MINI 08:45 14:55
OSE.JPN TOPIX TOPIX 08:45 15:00
OSE.JPN TOPIXM TOPIX Mini 08:45 15:00
Exchange Symbol Description Intraday Start Time4 Intraday End Time4
NSE NIFTY S&P CNX NIFTY 9:15 15:15
Exchange Symbol Description Intraday Start Time4 Intraday End Time4
SGX NK NIKKEI 225 7:45 14:10
SGX NS NIKKEI 225 mini 7:45 13:45
SGX TW MSCI Taiwan 8:45 13:30
Exchange Symbol Description Intraday Start Time4 Intraday End Time4
KSE 01 KOSPI 9:00 15:20
KSE 05 KOSPI mini 9:00 15:20

Maintenance Margin Minimums

Futures:
50 USD /contract


Short Options:
50 USD/contract for 100 delta units
25 USD/contract for 0 delta units

Minimums for deltas between 100 and 0 will be interpolated based on the above schedule. Eurex contracts always assume a delta of 100.

Initial Margin Minimums

125% of Maintenance Margin


Notes

  • 4. The times listed in 'Intraday Start Time' and 'Intraday End Time' columns are shown in local exchange time.




Risk Margin Overview


What is risk based margining?

A risk based margin system evaluates your portfolio to set your margin requirements. The risk valuations of your positions are created using simulated market movements that anticipate possible outcomes. As a result, a more accurate margin model is created, allowing the investor to increase their leverage.


How are correlated risks offset?

Within a group of positions with the same underlying, 100% of the gain at any one valuation point is allowed to offset another positions loss at the same valuation point.

Example: An account holds a long stock position in stock ABC and a long put option contract in ABC. If a theoretical worst case scenario causes the underlying asset to drop 15%, then the loss that on the long stock position would be offset by the gain on the long put position.


What are my eligibility requirements?

Eligibility requirements vary according to the investor’s personal information, region, and exchange.


What positions are eligible?

All positions in margin equity securities (including foreign equity securities and options on foreign equity securities, listed options on an equity security or index of equity securities, security futures products, unlisted derivatives on an equity security or index of equity securities, warrants on an equity security or index of equity securities, broad-based index futures, and options on broad-based index futures.



Additional US Margin Requirements for Residents of the US


Use the following links to view any of our other US margin requirements:

Stocks

Options

SSF - Single Stock Futures

Fixed Income

Mutual Funds


You can change your location setting by clicking here


Further Reading


See the following special articles and links, which describe important information on futures/options risk management and financial controls:

To learn more about trading on margin, go to our Education Center:

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Disclosures
  1. Cash accounts and IRA accounts (both cash and margin type) are not afforded intraday margin rates.
  2. Long positions only.
  3. Margin requirements for HHI.HK futures positions larger than 1,000 contracts on HKFE are double the normal HHI.HK margin requirements.
  • Due to regulatory restrictions, Interactive Brokers does not currently offer margin lending to natural persons who are residents of Australia.