Monitoring your account's margin requirements is crucial for managing risk, avoiding potential liquidations, and making informed trading decisions. Interactive Brokers (IBKR) offers several tools and platforms to help you keep track of your margin status:
- TWS (Trader Workstation) Account Window:
- This is the primary tool for monitoring your margin requirements in real-time. To use it:
- Open TWS and log in to your account
- Go to Account menu > Account Window
- Expand the Balances, Margin Requirements, and Available for Trading sections
- Key metrics to monitor in the Account Window include:
- Net Liquidating Value
- Available Funds
- Excess Liquidity
- Initial Margin Requirement
- Maintenance Margin Requirement
- Excess Equity over Maintenance Margin Requirement
- Excess Equity as a Percentage of Net Liquidation Value (Margin Cushion)
- Important notes:
- Insufficient Available Funds: New orders won't be accepted
- Negative Excess Liquidity: Account may be subject to liquidation
- Monitor Excess Equity Percentage (Margin Cushion) to avoid warnings when it falls below 10%
- This is the primary tool for monitoring your margin requirements in real-time. To use it:
- Client Portal:
- Log in to Client Portal
- Go to Portfolio > Balances
- Mobile Apps:
- iPhone iTWS: Check the Account screen
- Android aTWS: Check the Account screen
- Use the Balances section in IBKR Mobile
- Daily Margin Report:
- Log in to Client Portal
- Click on Performance & Reports followed by Other Reports
- Select Margin in the Report Type drop down, edit the date, and click Run Report
- Check Margin/Preview function:
- This feature allows you to preview the impact of potential trades on your margin requirements.
Additional Infomration
- Real Time Activity Monitoring in the TWS users' guide
- Portfolio in the Client Portal users' guide
- Traders Academy Lessons