TradeStation

Reduced intraday margin rates are available for U.S. Indices and select contracts in the following sectors: Currencies, Interest Rates, Metals, and Energies. Reduced margin rates are also available on select Eurex products. Please reference the Futures Margin Rates page for more detailed information.

When you establish a futures position, the full initial margin is decremented in real time from your account’s purchasing power. This may result in a negative purchasing power figure, which does not necessarily mean you have a margin call. For example, if your account net worth is $3,000 and you purchase one E-mini contract with a day trade margin of approximately $1,406, your purchasing power figure will be -$2,625.

Positions in deliverable futures contracts may be liquidated by TradeStation to avoid taking physical delivery and incurring the associated fees. Please consult the appropriate exchange website or call the Futures Trade Desk if you have questions about specific contracts.

Extended pre-market trading hours come with risks such as lower liquidity, wider bid-ask spreads, increased price volatility, and a greater impact from news and events. These factors can lead to abrupt price movements and potentially higher risks compared to regular trading hours.

Participation in extended pre-market trading hours is available to all traders who have accounts with TradeStation. However, not all stocks are available for trading during these hours, and liquidity can vary greatly among different stocks.

When trading during extended pre-market hours, consider conducting thorough research, being cautious of low liquidity and wider spreads, using limit orders to control prices, preparing for increased price volatility, monitoring your positions closely, and understanding the rules and guidelines of your brokerage or trading platform.

Based on FINRA day trading rules, any client that places four day trades in a five-trading-day period is deemed to be a pattern day trader. Each of a Pattern Day Trader’s margin accounts must maintain a daily equity balance above $25,000 to place opening transactions. If an account’s equity balance falls below $25,000.01, trading is restricted to closing transactions only until the equity balance is increased.

You may elect to either contact the Equities Trade Desk and request a one-time courtesy exception with the understanding you no longer intend to day trade, or request to have your margin account reclassified as a cash account. The account must be able to withstand the 100% margin requirement of a cash account before it can be converted.