Step 1: Open a new “What-if” portfolio

From the Classic TWS trading platform, select the Analytical Tools, Risk Navigator, and then Open New What-If menu options (Exhibit1).

Exhibit 1
 

From the Mosaic TWS trading platform, select New Window, Risk Navigator, and then Open New What-If menu options.

Step 2: Define starting portfolio

A pop-up window will appear (Exhibit 2) from which you will be prompted to define whether you would like to create a hypothetical portfolio starting from your current portfolio or a newly created portfolio. Clicking on the "yes" button will serve to download existing positions to the new “What-If” portfolio.

Exhibit 2
 

Clicking on the "No" button will open up the “What – If” Portfolio with no positions.

Risk Dashboard

The Risk Dashboard is pinned along the top of the product tab-sets, and is and is available for what-if as well as active portfolios. The values are calculated on demand for what-if portfolios. The dashboard provides at-a-glance account information including:

1) Net Liquidation Value: The total Net Liquidation Value for the account
2) P&L: The total daily P&L for the entire portfolio
3) Maintenance Margin: Total current maintenance margin
4) Initial Margin: Total initial margin requirements
5) VAR: Shows the Value at risk for the entire portfolio
6) Expected Shortfall (ES): Expected Shortfall (average value at risk) is expected return of the portfolio in the worst case
 

Alternative Margin Calculator

The Alternative Margin Calculator, accessed from the Margin menu and clicking on the Margin Mode (Exhibit 3), shows how the margin change will affect the overall margin requirement, once fully implemented.

Exhibit 3
 

Step 3: Selecting Margin Mode Settings

A pop-up window will appear (Exhibit 4) entitled Margin Mode Setting. You can use the drop-down menu in that window to change the margin calculations from Default (being the current policy) to the new title of the new Margin Setting (being the new margin policy). Once you have made a selection click on the OK button in that window.

Exhibit 4
 

Once the new margin mode setting is specified, the Risk Navigator Dashboard will automatically update to reflect your choice. You can toggle back and forth between the Margin Mode settings. Note that the current Margin Mode will be shown in the lower left hand corner of the Risk Navigator window (Exhibit 5).

Exhibit 5
 

Step 4: Add Positions

To add a position to the "What - If" portfolio, click on the green row titled "New" and then enter the underlying symbol (Exhibit 6), define the product type (Exhibit 7) and enter position quantity (Exhibit 8)

Exhibit 6
 

Exhibit 7

Exhibit 8

You can modify the positions to see how that changes the margin. After you altered your positions you will need to click on the recalculate icon () to the right of the margin numbers in order to have them update. Whenever that icon is present the margin numbers are not up-to-date with the content of the What-If Portfolio.

Once logged in to TWS for Mobile, all users have a 20-minute grace period during which they can take a call or use another app and still retain full access to their trading session without having to perform a full login (username/password + second factor authentication). After this grace period, users who have fingerprint security enabled on their device will enjoy secure trading for up to 30 hours without having to complete the full login.

Trader Workstation (TWS)

La función Comprobar margen de TWS proporciona la posibilidad de aislar el impacto de margen de la orden propuesta de una de las posiciones existentes y también muestra el nuevo requisito de margen suponiendo que la orden se ejecute. Los saldos de margen clave, incluidos los requisitos de margen inicial y de mantenimiento, se informan como la Liquidez con valor de préstamo. Para utilizar esta función, coloque el cursor sobre la línea de la orden, haga clic derecho con el botón del ratón y seleccione Comprobar margen desde el menú desplegable.

Ejemplo: Comprar 1 ES Junio 2012 Futuro @ 1387.25

La primera sección de la Vista previa de órdenes muestra el bid, ask y el último precio de negociación para el valor.

La segunda sección muestra los detalles básicos de la orden.

La sección Cantidad muestra el valor de la orden así como la comisión estimada aplicable.

La sección Impacto de margen muestra una división de los siguiente:

Actual = Los valores de cuenta actuales, con exclusión de la orden que se está transmitiendo.

Cambio = El efecto de la orden que se está enviando, ignorando cualquier posición en la cuenta.

Postnegociación = Los valores de cuenta anticipados cuando la orden que se está transmitiendo se haya ejecutado e incorporado a la cartera de cuenta.

WebTrader

La vista previa de orden de WebTrader muestra solo el equivalente de los valores postnegociación de TWS.

Availability

• Quotes: “quote Interactive Brokers”, “show the price of Interactive Brokers”
  • IBot can also display fundamental information
  • Options: In cases where there is more than one option contract on the same exchange with the same expiry, strike and right, IBot will choose a contract as follows:
    • Choose smart over non-smart
    • Choose non-weekly contracts
    • Choose the contract with a standard multiplier
  • Partial Instrument Match: In cases where you leave out a parameter, IBot will try to identify the option contract with an educated guess based on the following logic:
    • If the underlying is missing, assume the last used underlying if one is available
    • If the type is missing, use a CALL.
    • If the expiration is missing, use the nearest month.
    • If the strike is missing, use the at-the-money strike.
• Charts: “10 day 1 hour bar chart for Interactive Brokers”, “chart Interactive Brokers”
  • If you omit bar sizes or time ranges, IBot will display the most reasonable chart based on what you entered
• Orders: “buy 100 shares of Interactive Brokers at market”, “sell 100 shares of IBKR at 40”, “close my Interactive Brokers position”, “close 10% of my long positions”
  • You MUST click the Submit button located within IBot to place the order
• Trades: “show trades in Interactive Brokers”
• Market Scanners: “top gaining US stocks", "biggest US market winners"
• Market Depth Level II Data: “market depth for Interactive Brokers”, “level 2 for IBKR”
• Option Chains: “option chains for Interactive Brokers”, “jan options for IBKR”
• Calendar: "show portfolio events", "upcoming events for portfolio companies"
• Your Account: “show my P&L”, “show my buying power”, “what is my net liquidation value”
• Modify a Command: after creating an order, “change this order to market”
• Help: get help with IBot by typing help before a type of command, “help with orders”, “help with chart”
• Company Fundamentals: “show summary for Interactive Brokers”, “Return on Equity for IBKR”
• Customer Service Information: “customer support”, “support”
  • Will include a link to the Contact Client Services page of our website
• IBKR web site information: Use the terms Search: or Search for to return reference information from the IBKR web site. IBot will return the top matches with links to the relevant web page.