IRA accounts, by definition, may not use borrowed funds to purchase securities and must pay for all long stock purchases in full, may not carry short stock positions and may not hold a debit cash balance (in any currency). IRA accounts are eligible to carry futures and option contracts. In addition, IB offers a specific form of IRA account referred to as a “Margin IRA” that allows the account holder to trade with unsettled funds, carry American style option spreads and maintain long balances in multiple currency denominations.

For additional information regarding trading permissions in an IRA account, refer to KB188.