Liquidity E-mini futures’ market depths and volumes are among the highest of any traded instruments. All this trading takes place at the single location of the CME Globex matching engine. You do not need to search for the greatest source of liquidity to execute your trade. Leverage (Performance Bonds) Due to the fact that these are highly leveraged instruments, a thorough understanding of margin is a crucial concept when trading e-mini futures. During each trading day, an e-mini futures trading account is marked-to-the–market for any losses or gains. These losses or gains are then immediately debited or credited from/to the account. As described on the CMEs website: ’ Performance bonds in the futures industry, formerly called the "margin," are considered "good faith" deposits that guarantee a trader's position holdings amid market swings. In addition to the initial performance bond deposit, traders are committed
to making good on any change in the value of any futures contract they
hold. Traders can use this to leverage a position larger than their initial
deposit amount.’ No Account Sizes Restrictions for Day-trading There are no regulatory limits on account sizes for day-trading in futures markets such as the $25,000 minimum necessary for day-trading stocks. No Restrictions on Short Sales All purchases and sales are executed in the same manner. No distinction exists between a short and a long sale. Daily Marked-to-Market Settlement E-mini futures trading accounts are marked-to-the–market for any losses or gains. These losses or gains are then immediately debited or credited from/to the account. Mastertrader or its Clearing Firm, Penson Financial, may require a larger
initial performance bond. CME initial performance and maintenance bonds
may also vary over time. The degree of leverage that is often obtainable
in futures trading can work against you as well as for you and as a result,
can lead to large losses as well as gains. For more information
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