(from Ninja Trader) "5X Margin Increase for CME Equity Indices, Interest Rates & Energies. Due to the risk presented by significant market swings, intraday margins for the CME Equity Indices, Interest Rates and Energies have been increased 5X until further notice. Several CME Group markets including the Equity Indexes have reached lock limit. Lock limits are used by exchanges to regulate market volatility. It is important to use proper risk management when trading during volatile market conditions. Following the recent large market swings, we strongly encourage maintaining a higher than normal amount of margin per contract."
What do you do if you are in Z1 and at +2SD and you think the market is due for some down action? Of course you can trade it, just know it is a lower-probability setup than a the first longs into the zone. Keep a tighter stop, for example. Here is the graphic I am referring to:
I don't buy that for a New York minute. They are raising margins due to accounts being wiped out from volatility not volatility in itself. If people were trading more but not blowing up in hours they would hold rates.
I'm not sure its a sign of blow ups. 5x does seem a bit large for a bump, but it still is less than 50% of full margins for the indexes anyway. It is the prudent thing to do, and most FCMs are making a (temporary)bump of some sort regarding day trade margins. A bump is not the same as suspending or removing. FWIW... AMP sent email yesterday AM, before market open. In a nutshell... Temporary day-trade margin increase two times (2x) the "normal" day-trade margin. effective immediately, across all markets and all platforms. Also fwiw... Day trade margins at AMP are in effect whenever the market is open, with exception of a few minutes before the end of day session. The 2x day trade margins are in effect right now for the overnight.
Here is yesterday's official report: Net of $116 from 11 trades. = $10.5 per trade or 21 ticks on MNQ and MYM. I'd love to say that my trading is vastly improved if I am getting 21 ticks, but the true cause, as you know, is that the market is just highly volatile right now. My stop is still expanded, and with each trade it feels like I am at a square dance, trying to figure out where I am going to get flung to next!
This is just the funniest thing ever, and relates to all social media and even my journal here at times, LOL Wait for it....
Official report for Tuesday: $191 net. 15 trades. =$12.73 per trade or 25 ticks per trade. Getting close to $4,500....
Steve you seem unstoppable at this point I want to invest in your fund if you start one ha ha. How long is the duration of your average trade? How long do you hold for in min. or seconds? Today I was flashing up and down 20 ticks per second.
Good afternoon, Steven! Please tell me what is your ratio "MFE amount for all transactions / MAE amount for all transactions"? Thanks.
This market is beyond nuts, but I am surviving. Some of my trades are mere seconds, yes. But most are probably just a few minutes in duration. At my core, I am a reversionary trader. All this chop right down my alley. I have been trading like this for 13 years, using the NYSE-tick (or a fast RSI at times) for emotional extreme readings. I see trading like the Superbowl, and price like the line of scrimmage. The best of the best are facing off at the price line. We have The Bulls vs The Bears (not those bears). Those boys are going to beat each other up- big time. Back and forth we go. But one team is going to advance that ball a little at a time. Likewise, I know that the highs and the lows of whatever range we are in probably will be reversed at least a couple times. I don't get greedy. I take what is offered. Then I wait patiently. But not as patiently as the trend traders. About 70% of the market is range trading on a given day. But 90% of the traders are trend traders (my guess). So you can see the math is a bit off. The 90% are trying to apply their (good) tools to the market, but end up frustrated or broke often. The 10% like me are having some fun in the 70%. This leaves lots of room for a nice game of football, LOL. The problem comes of course when the offense breaks through the defense and we get a sprint toward the goal line. Or a Hail Mary pass. When these trends develop, I have kept trying to fade them - to my destruction. Quite literally in just the last few months, I have finally learned to "go with" the trends that the 90% have already mastered. Yesterday, for example, I took some longs near the highs. This was a major success for me, LOL. And I have never been a breakout trader, but this is working better for me too.