For the third time in a week, the exchange has hiked margin requirements for trading silver futures contracts.
New margin requirement rises to $16,200 from $14,513. Maintenance margin moves up to $12,000 from $10,750.
Hedgers pay the maintenance margin as their initial margin requirements.
It looks as if the exchange is extremely worried after seeing a nearly 10% plunge in silver prices overnight. It will make it more and more difficult for small specs to participate and as I have said previously here, will tend to magnify downward moves in price as margin calls escalate rapidly.
Small specs - be extremely careful in this market right now. There is an attempt going on here to rid the general public of its positions leaving only the big boys to play.
That will also aggravate the volatility even more as open interest drops off and liquidity begins to shrink.
