leverage in the US

Hi everyone,

I've been trading stocks in the latin american markets in the past few years. Next year I am gonna start trading stocks in the american markets too and I would like to know how people leverage in the US(other than with options).
Are there stock forwards contracts in the US ? What are the forward contract interest rates? How liquid is the the SSFs market nowadays?

Any information about the subject is greatly appreciated.


Thanks in advance

Your broker will provide the leverage. Most provide 2:1 leverage for longterm positions, 4:1 leverage for daytrading. And if you have enough money you can get portfolio margin at some brokerage houses, that will increase your leverage for pairs trades and basis arbitrage type stuff. Who are you trading through right now?

If you have more than $100,000 in your account you can use Portfolio Margining which will give you much higher leverage than the traditional Reg T (2:1)...check out, for an example of how one Broker Dealer is implementing it:

Portfolio Margin