I think what happened is inexcusable and they had no justification to liquidate, but all of you are missing the point.
Their autoliquidate function is not programmed to asses the trader's maximum risk, it is designed to assess <i>their</i> maximum risk.
Like any other shop, they only want to protect themselves and taking into account the portfolio margin is not their goal. They calculate their maximum risk if/when things go sideways. If one position looks out of whack to their algos, they will get rid of it. It is obviously a mistake in the programming, but they will find a way to justify it.
And for those who are suggesting arbitration, the NFA is more crooked then the FCMs. You literally have to catch a provider stealing before they will give you any relief. It is the same thing as the SEC. They are there for appearances sake and to protect the large firms, not the consumer.
Their autoliquidate function is not programmed to asses the trader's maximum risk, it is designed to assess <i>their</i> maximum risk.
Like any other shop, they only want to protect themselves and taking into account the portfolio margin is not their goal. They calculate their maximum risk if/when things go sideways. If one position looks out of whack to their algos, they will get rid of it. It is obviously a mistake in the programming, but they will find a way to justify it.
And for those who are suggesting arbitration, the NFA is more crooked then the FCMs. You literally have to catch a provider stealing before they will give you any relief. It is the same thing as the SEC. They are there for appearances sake and to protect the large firms, not the consumer.