Once a trader meets the initial margin requirement, they are required to maintain the maintenance margin level until the position is closed. Every trader needs to have an amount equal to the initial margin requirement in their account balance in order to hold a futures position past the closing time of that market. This is the amount required to carry a contract past the daily close. Initial Margin, also known as Overnight Margin, is set by the exchanges and is universal for all FCM’s and Brokers. Day Trading Margins are based on many factors, including market volatility, open interest, customer credit profile and the level of funding in the specific customer's account. This is the minimum amount required to enter into a position per contract during regular trading hours without carrying that position past the session’s close. Day trading margins, also known as Intraday margins, are determined by our clearing firms and are typically provided as a percentage of the initial margin (E.g. This is very important to do before you look at a trading performance report so it is more accurate.Optimus Futures offers low day-trading margins to accommodate futures traders that require flexible leverage to trade their accounts. We recommend inserting the commission cost and slippage cost into the proper place under "properties for all" when you format your strategies. (The above website links will provide the most up-to-date amounts since that is the actual TradeStation charges). The list below will provide you a quick reference source for the commission cost, dollars cost per tick and margin cost per contract. Drawdown (Intra-day Peak to Valley) amount Max_DrawDown = Look at your strategy performance report Max. Max_Number_Of_Contracts = Look at your strategy performance report for the highest number of contacts held in any single trade Margin = Use the Futures Margin Requirements Per Futures Symbol link provided above to find initial margin requirements How Much Money Is Recommended To Trade Each Futures SymbolĬonservative Recommended Capital(CRC) = ( Margin * Max_Number_Of_Contracts) + (Max_DrawDown * 2) Futures Margin Requirements Per Futures Symbol TradeStation Futures Commission Costs Per Futures Symbol
Simply mouse click on the link to download. This spreadsheet is vital to know when futures contract rollovers occur. Make sure to do the above 2 steps before you do any optimization on a strategy and before you look at the performance report to insure you are get accurate results.įutures Resources Futures Rollover Schedule Per Futures Symbol Make sure to fill in the commission field with the correct commission charges too. Here is what you do from your trading platform menu -> format strategies -> properties for all -> Position Slippage field -> Enter the dollar amount of 1 tick per side listed below -> check the box "per Share/Contract" now your strategy performance report will be more accurate. It is very important to enter accurate commissions & slippage costs when doing your back testing on any strategy. Slippage and Commission Amounts Needed For Accurate Back Testing of Futures Strategies