Day-Trading Margin
A reduced intraday margin rate offered by retail brokers for futures positions opened and closed within the same session.
Day-trading margin (also called intraday margin) is a broker-defined rate — typically 25–50% of the CME initial margin — available only for positions that are fully closed before the daily settlement. It is not an exchange rule; it is a broker accommodation.
The reduced rate allows traders with smaller accounts to participate in futures markets. The trade-off: any position still open at the exchange's end-of-day cutoff is automatically liquidated or the trader is required to post full overnight margin immediately.
Common day-trading margins: ES ~$500–$1,000/contract at retail futures brokers (vs. ~$15,840 CME standard).