AMP not supporting exchange spread margin

AMP is, and will always be, fuzzy on the issue.

I don't know about exchange-traded spreads, but they simply (with CQG) DO NOT support intra spreads on manual legs, as defined by the exchange. Even though their broker statements say otherwise. I believe this, because someone at AMP on the phone told me this, and their CS reps must know how their operation works.

It has been that single issue that has been stifling my trading all these years...Knowledge of that one single issue. In that the relief provided by the exchange simply does not exist in their SPAN calculations, and all open legs are counted as full margin in the last 5 minutes of trading, whether you fit the definition of an intra-spread or not. Tough cookies.

Makes me mad, but I try to deal with it.

Advantage, Rosenthal Collins, RJO know how to correctly margin spread traders intraday
 
Yes of course. A good portion of their clients are commercial and spec spread traders.

I don't trade "exchange-traded spreads". I mentioned that at the very top of my journal when asked. My legs are manual.
 
I don't trade "exchange-traded spreads". I mentioned that at the very top of my journal when asked. My legs are manual.

I advise ALL of my clients to dispense with discount brokers. They’re worst than useless for a spread trader. I do not have any haircut or promotion arrangements with any broker or clearing firm.

Execution does NOT matter in terms of overnight margin. Advantage gives my manual spreaders 4 x intraday buying power and then applies the appropriate SPAN calculated offset credits on the evening.pdf Statement. You will get an overnight margin credit regardless of how it was executed.

If you are leaving legs exposed and unhedged for protracted periods of time then any Risk Manager is going to have issues with you.

Proper Spread Traders require a DIRECT FCM who knows how to correctly service them.
 
I advise ALL of my clients to dispense with discount brokers. They’re worst than useless for a spread trader.
Proper Spread Traders require a DIRECT FCM who knows how to correctly service them.

I'm not a spread trader, by your definition, IIRC.
 
I'm not a spread trader, by your definition, IIRC.

It doesn’t have anything to do with what “my” definition of a spread trader is.

If you are carrying a SPAN-recognized position then clearing member firms are obligated by exchange bylaws to assign you a margin credit - doesn’t matter if the exchange legged your spread or TT Autospreader legged your spread or if you manually legged your spread all by yourself. I’ve been assigned margin credits for spread positions with slightly (or not so slightly) different hedge ratios than listed by the exchange.

Now, if you are riding naked unhedged legs for two or three hours and then adding a hedge 20 minutes before the close - then yes, your Broker will certainly treat those legs as outright risk on an intraday basis; but they are obligated to assign you a SPAN Margin offset credit on your Daily Statement. Now, if you put on one leg during one trading session and put on the hedge during a subsequent trading session then yes there will be a delay of one day where you see your SPAN offset - but you will indeed get one assigned.
 
If you are carrying a SPAN-recognized position then clearing member firms are obligated by exchange bylaws to assign you a margin credit - doesn’t matter if the exchange legged your spread or TT Autospreader legged your spread or if you manually legged your spread all by yourself...

Well, then I suppose AMP does not fit any of those categories, because they told me on the phone that they do not recognize margin credits on outright future legs, even if they fit into the intra-spread definition of the CME. Sux.
 
Well, then I suppose AMP does not fit any of those categories, because they told me on the phone that they do not recognize margin credits on outright future legs, even if they fit into the intra-spread definition of the CME. Sux.

Wow. If only there were an alternative to AMP o_O
 
Back
Top