CME to Shift Precious-Metals Margin Settings as Prices Swing

yahoo.com ^ | 1/12/2026 | Yihui Xie

[Presbyterian Reporter]

CME Group will change the way it sets margins for gold, silver, platinum and palladium futures after a surge in prices and volatile trading.

The new approach will set margins based on a percentage of so-called notional, the CME said in a notice. Previously, they were based on a dollar amount.

The shift takes effect from Tuesday’s close and follows a “normal review of market volatility to ensure adequate collateral coverage,” the CME said.

Precious metals have been the subject of an extraordinary rally over recent quarters, with the gains and price swings continuing into the new year. In the latest leg higher, gold and silver both surged to records in Monday’s session, with the latter having already advanced by about a fifth in 2026.

In the near term, the margin changes “may temporarily weigh on precious metals,” said Christopher Wong, a strategist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp.

“The percentage-based method intuitively would be able to capture the margin required, which means no need for frequent adjustment,” Wong added. However, if volatility went beyond historical levels, or there are unforeseen circumstances, “they may still increase the percentage,” he said.

The CME had already adjusted margin requirements on its precious metal contracts several times last year, as the rally gathered steam, the volume of speculative trading activity picked up, and volatility spiked.

Clearinghouses like the CME’s ask brokers to deposit cash, or margin, on a daily basis to cover potential losses on their clients’ positions.

The margins “help to ensure that clearing members can meet their obligations to their customers and to CME Clearing,” the CME says on its website.

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: bubble; delta7; silver

[Presbyterian Reporter]

"""The shift takes effect from Tuesday’s close and follows a “normal review of market volatility to ensure adequate collateral coverage,” the CME said.""""

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New margin rule goes into effect at the close of trading today.

[Presbyterian Reporter]

I read on another site that the silver margin will be 9% of the contracts value.

A CME futures contract is for 5,000 ounces of silver.

If the silver price is $80 per ounce, then the margin for one contract will be 9% of $400,000 or $36,000.

The current CME silver margin is $25,000 per contract.

[DesertRhino]

That would seem to be an attack on the silver manipulating banks that beat down the price with paper silver at a rate of 250 to 1 vs physical silver.

Nice to see them take a hit.

[volare737]

They’re doing their best to stop the rise of sliver and other precious metals.

[volare737]

….silver…

[Macoozie]

“to ensure adequate collateral coverage”

Flushing out all the new holders with increased margins.

Criminal market manipulation.

[linedrive]

I am wondering if they are actually trying to limit exposure to big banks (elites) with highly leveraged positions in making this change. I need to better understand what this means.

[Tom Tetroxide]

Silver is closing in on $90.