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What types of securities are marginable? |
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Any stock trading under $5.00 per share is not marginable; this is a rule set down by the governing securities agencies. However, most stocks are marginable. All marginable stocks require an initial margin of 50% of the total purchase or short-sale price. Most fixed income securities (i.e. U.S. treasury or corporate bonds) are also marginable. The initial margin required depends on the type of bond. As a general rule, investment grade corporate non-convertible bonds require a 30% initial margin and corporate convertible bonds that are not in default require a 50% initial margin. U.S. Treasury and zero coupon bonds can also be bought on margin but the initial margin requirement varies from 3% to 10% depending on the maturity. Option purchases are not marginable. Options can only be purchased with cash available in your account.
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