Isolated and Cross Margin

In the derivatives space, margin refers to the amount needed to enter into a leveraged position. Initial and Maintenance Margin refer to the minimum initial amount needed to enter a position and the minimum amount needed to keep that position from getting liquidated. As various users have varying trading strategies, BTEX has employed two different methods of margining:

Cross Margin

Margin is shared between open positions. When needed, a position will draw more margin from the total account balance to avoid liquidation.

Isolated Margin

Margin assigned to a position is restricted to a certain amount. If the margin falls below the Maintenance Margin level, the position is liquidated. However, you can add and remove margin at will under this method.

By default, Cross Margin is enabled. Users enable Isolated Margin on the order controls panel at the left side of the Trading Dashboard using the leverage slider. The further to the right you move the slider, the higher the leverage, and the less margin is used for the position.
Note that the prefered leverage is effective per-contract and is saved, even if a user completely exits a position. Once margin is isolated on a position, the amount of margin assigned to the position is adjustable. This allows you to choose a desirable leverage and liquidation price. Your liquidation price on the position is shown in the Open Positions tab and will update as you adjust your leverage.