Recent content by bjr89

Thanks ET!

Ha, so am I the healthy man or the sick one? What does this even mean? If I'm wrong about something regarding my futures vs. ETF logic, I'd truly be grateful if you explained it to me.

If you need a fast PC with a great video card (and don't want to build one yourself) I'd recommend an Alienware Alpha/X51/Area-51. I know they are technically for gaming, but what's really the difference between gaming and trading?

newwurldmn -- Thanks for your help! ETcallhome -- actually I was referring to buying ETFs on margin vs. using futures to get the same 2:1 exposure and the relative costs. It's not as simple as it seems on the surface as one would need to weigh the marginal financing advantage of futures vs. the...

Oh I didn't know that. I was under the impression that a futures contract is taxed at 60/40 even if held for over a year. Thanks again.

Thanks for the additional input, Maverick, recession, and Stockmarketmap. I really appreciate it. I intend to hold the position for a year and then rebalance. I'm trying to apply a modest amount of leverage (2:1) to a risk balanced portfolio, or risk parity as it's usually called. So it kind of...

recession2016, thanks for your reply. I understand how futures can allow for greater leverage, but shouldn't the implied cost of interest that is priced into the futures price be about the same as the rate of interest charged on the margin loan if one were to buy an ETF on margin? I have a...

As someone who has never used futures, I have always simply purchased ETFs on margin if I desired to use any leverage. I was told that with futures I would avoid paying the margin interest that is required when you buy stock on margin. But isn't there an implicit cost of interest in the futures...