Brokers/ Platforms with Accurate Real Time Margin Display

Discussion in 'Commodity Futures' started by comintel, Sep 16, 2011.

  1. I am trying out CTS T4 and while it has a very good variety of futures and options spreads, one thing I notice is that it does not have accurate margin displayed intra-day.

    Instead, for options positions they just use round numbers such as $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 etc. for the futures options positions, presumably based on some rough rule of thumb.

    Interactive Brokers, on the other hand, does have up-to-the second margin display, and I am used to having it at IB, although I was looking for alternatives to IB that had more energy and other spreads etc. available.

    Do TT, Rithmic, or CQG have accurate real-time margin display?
     
  2. rmorse

    rmorse Sponsor

    As far as I know, only retail platforms do those calculations. The professional platforms don't want the responsibility to make the calculations, because margin can change.
     
  3. moarla

    moarla

    interactive brokers
     
  4. bone

    bone

    Not if he's trading futures spreads. IB does not correctly calculate intraday SPAN margin offsets for inter and intra-market spreads according to my clients.

    You don't get that with T4 or with X-Trader - but the risk managers at the FCM do (it is a different platform).

    The FCMs almost always give my clients 4:1 buying power intraday to account for the eventual SPAN margin credit they would get if they carried the position overnight in terms of performance bond margin - it is roughly similar.
     
  5. Thanks for the information!
     
  6. I found that PFG Best is another one with real time margining.

    In fact, I am very impressed so far with the demo of their BestDirect 8.0 platform. It has both all of the exchange implied spreads and user defined spreads (you can even request a new spread from the exchange dynamically) for both futures and options. All of the Crush, Crack spreads, condors, butterflies, etc. At least it looks that way so far.

    I also found out that although they may be thought of by many as a retail broker, they actually also have significant professional customers. I think that must have in order to have had a need to add the features mentioned above.