Previously for US SIFs they were using a fixed 40:1 leverage for day trading margin and 20:1 for overnight margin. Now the leverage ratio has been lowered. I have developed my own algo software to use with IB. It would take me about 2 months to write adaptor classes for another api. However there is no guarantee the broker will be any good and i might have to do the spend the same time again until i eventually find an alternative broker. For now I am resigned to having to accept lower profits, by reducing size, until IB re enable day trading margin.
They where higher in Jan than most futures brokers. I was checking at the time. ES was like 5800, YM was 6300 I believe. They where higher than most. Something is out of whack at this broker. Not sure what it is but they are the only one with SKY high margins. If volatility spikes again how high they can go.
Those were overnight margin rates, day trading margin was half those. But i agree, still high compared to other brokers. IB lost 120 million in the CHF spike a few years ago, although they might of recovered some of that by going after negative accounts. Since this time they have been jacking up margin on european markets, eg DAX margin has been 30000 EUR for 1 lot for some time now.