GTS, do you need to go through trust company to get futures trading approval, or it can be approved within IB? Thanks for sharing.Yes, IB allows future trading in IRA account...I've been doing it for years.
Regarding margin, futures trading doesn't require a margin account since you don't borrow to trade futures; as long as you meet the initial and maintenance requirements for the contract (which are low) you are fine - you do not have to assets in your ira equal to the nominal value of the future contract you are trading (e.g. ES $50 x 2000 = $100,000)...normal futures margin rules apply (for ES $2875 initial, $5750 overnight)