margin account is u are borrowing money from a brokerage meaning u do not own anything. The futures exchange does not own physical goods. therefore, an initial and maintence margins must be setup in order to protect itself. Initial margin means to if a trader wants to keep his/her position open after the market closed, must meet the intial margin requirement. Maintence margin means the amount of money where a loss on your futures position requires you to allocate more funds to bring the margin back to the initial margin level. Good Luck
sorry, busy trading.... WHEN YOU are trading for living, time is of the essence.... don't you agree, fellow traders? here is all the info you need. neil said it is ok to give out this info for the benefit of others as well. he and family are getting ready to fly to prague (?).... to meet up with some friends.... there is really no need to prove who is right, ok? traders always let their bottom lines speak for themselves with utmost eloquent.... cheers, my friend.