Minimum Balance Required to trade 1 MES contract.

[rc5781]

The current initial rth margin requirementnt for MES is $1154. Interactive broker requires $2,000 minimum to trade on margin. What is the Ninjatrader minimum requirement?

[NinjaTrader_ChristopherJ]

Hello rc5781,

Thank you for posting.

NinjaTrader Brokerage intraday margin requirements are publicly available at the link below:

• https://ninjatrader.com/PDF/ninjatra...ommissions.pdf

Let me know if I may be of further assistance.

[rc5781]

Hello rc5781,
NinjaTrader Brokerage intraday margin requirements are publicly available at the link below:

• https://ninjatrader.com/PDF/ninjatra...ommissions.pdf

Let me know if I may be of further assistance.

Yes, I saw that. On that page it say "50" for "margin" for MES. I don't know what that means. It can't mean $50.

[backtester831]

Yes, I saw that. On that page it say "50" for "margin" for MES. I don't know what that means. It can't mean $50.

$50 is the minimum, but I think you'll be auto liquidated by a 1 tick move against you, so probably want at least $100 in the account before placing a trade for 1 MES contract

You also wouldn't be able to place a stop loss with only $50 in the account because the max loss of the stop is required as part of the margin. For example if your max loss with the stop loss was $25, then you'd need $75 in account balance to place a 1 contract MES trade with a stop loss set at $25 away from entry.

[rc5781]

$50 is the minimum, but I think you'll be auto liquidated by a 1 tick move against you, so probably want at least $100 in the account before placing a trade for 1 MES contract

The only way this makes sense is if Ninjatrader is selling a fraction of MES contracts. If this is correct, when I purchase 1 MES contract from Ninjatrader, what fraction of an actual CME MES contract am I buying?

[backtester831]

The only way this makes sense is if Ninjatrader is selling a fraction of MES contracts. If this is correct, when I purchase 1 MES contract from Ninjatrader, what fraction of an actual CME MES contract am I buying?

NinjaTrader probably puts up their own collateral. It is only intraday day trading margin, and the position must be closed before market close or else margin goes up to the same maintenance margin as interactive brokers and you risk a margin call of you don't have enough. Ninjatrader isn't unique in this, it's a category of futures brokers called low day trading margin brokers.

If anything the margin req on MES with IBKR is too high because they do around 5k for ES, so MES should be 1/10 at 500 instead of 1000

[rc5781]

Ninjatrader isn't unique in this, it's a category of futures brokers called low day trading margin brokers.

Thank you for that explanation. Ninjatrader is SUPER day trading focused. Pretty crazy that I can buy 1 MES contract during rth, with about $100 whereas on Interactive Brokers I need $2,000.

[backtester831]

Ya there's a reason why NinjaTrader is the best for day trading