Why there are so few brokers offering index/equity options with portfolio margin ? And few brokers that offering futures options ( NO PENSON ) with good margin ....
I don't talkin about FULL margin futures/ or daytrading margin ( for example daytrading margin is SET from broker ) . But margin ON futures options .
In other words you want to trade futures options (on equity index futures) in a portfolio margin stock account? I am not sure that any broker allows that. There is a proposal to allow it, but I do not think it has been approved yet. I agree that it should be approved. At IB, you can trade options on equity index futures but those trades go into the futures account, not into the stock account. The sum of these two accounts is presented as a "Universal Account" but there are really two separate underlying accounts, with no cross margining allowed between them (although cash can bne moved between them). The concept of "Portfolio Margin" only applies within the stock account. It does not have any role or meaning in the futures account in which equity futures and options on them are traded.
I was thinking of opening a futures account with PFG so if you could mention what the problems are I would appreciate it.