Other Margin Accounts
Chapters in this video
- 0:00 Pattern day trader: the two-part trigger
- 0:36 The 4 day trades / 6% trap and exam gotcha
- 2:19 $25,000 minimum equity and 4x buying power
- 3:48 Portfolio margin vs standard margin risk modeling
- 4:31 The $100,000 minimum and the $5 million trap
- 5:23 Margin disclosure statement: Sam the Supervisor's rules
- 6:27 Rapid-fire exam recap
What this video covers
- The two-part pattern day trader trigger: 4 or more day trades in 5 business days plus those trades exceeding 6% of total trades, and why missing either condition means the label does not apply
- The $25,000 minimum equity requirement for pattern day traders, and why cash plus eligible securities both count toward that figure
- How day-trading buying power is calculated at 4x the prior day's closing equity minus maintenance requirements, and what happens when that buying power is exceeded
- The consequences of an unmet day-trading margin call (buying power restricted to 2x) versus an unmet special maintenance margin call (cash-available basis for 90 days)
- How portfolio margin uses risk-based modeling instead of fixed Reg T percentages to find the greatest projected net loss across positions
- Why the general portfolio margin minimum equity is $100,000, and when the $5,000,000 figure actually applies (unlisted derivatives only)
- Why individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are categorically ineligible for portfolio margin regardless of account size
- When the margin disclosure statement must be delivered (at or before account opening, then annually), and what harsh rights it discloses (cross-account liquidation, no advance notice, no time extensions, unlimited loss potential)
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