Tag: Margin
Futures Margin Calls, Explained: Initial vs. Maintenance
A margin call is one of the phrases that scares a new futures investor the most. Often, they picture life savings getting wiped out in seconds, as it does in movies. The truth is not nearly as intimidating. Margin is simply a tool. One that educated investors often love. After all, if you expected your […]
Futures Contracts are Easy. You are Already Using Them.
I have spent over a decade in the futures industry, so I am accustomed to blank stares when I tell people what I do. Most immediately assume it is too complicated to even try to understand. The ironic thing is that we all intuitively understand them already. We trade them all the time. We can […]
Understanding Minimum Investment Sizes
When launching their programs, managers in the futures space are faced with a dilemma. First, they need to choose a trade level. This is an easy process for an equity manager as they often trade 100% of the cash available and sometimes decide to use leverage. However, ALL futures contracts already have the leverage built-in, […]