# Gold futures' margin

1. How is the margin for gold futures determined?
2. Where exactly can I look to find the current margin (pls, state website)?

The initial margin is $5940 and maintenance margin$5400. A simple search of Comex Gold Margin gives the CME group site. You then need to specify CMX metals to see the margins.
Gold is currently about $1300. A gold future is 100 oz. So the full contract is worth$130K. You want to 'go long' so you enter into a contract for Dec '14. You put up $5940, and if gold rises, you gain$100 for each $1 it goes up. Likewise on the downside. If gold drops$5.40, you lost $540 and will get a call to end the position or to put up more money. It's similar to stock margin requirements, only the numbers are much lower, your leverage with futures is over 20 to 1. • Tnx Joe, but what exactly is the difference between initial and maintenance margin? Maintenance of what? Is the +$540 of the initial margin something like a registration fee? Sorry if I sound silly, but I am trying to find my way in this seemingly complicated matter. – Kalypso Jul 22 '14 at 7:13
• Note that the margin does vary... at the start of 2008, the initial margin was $3375. early 2010$6747. Early 2012 $10125. Early 2013:$6600. Early 2014 $7975. May 2015:$4125. – Norgate Data Dec 12 '15 at 0:37