Customer Service FAQs Margin Trading

FAQs
FAQs

FAQs

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Margin Trading

    Cash Account vs. Margin Account
  1. There is no difference when you place orders with a cash account or a margin account.

    However, you can enhance your buying power with margin account, which allows you to borrow money from BOOM by using your stock holdings as collateral to buy more stocks. The amount you can borrow (i.e. the margin financing facilities or margin value) is calculated based on the market value and the margin ratio of your collaterals.

    You are free to use the margin financing facilities granted to you. You can purchase any securities listed on the 12 countries that BOOM offers for trading, or use it as a source of funds for any other purpose.
  2. Simply download, sign and return the Margin Account Application form to service@boomhq.com or by fax at (852) 2255 8300.

    Click here to download forms
  3. Yes. Same as cash account, BOOM will pay interest to the HKD, AUD or USD positive balances in your margin account.

    The saving interest rates (i.e. credit interest rate) are shown in your daily / monthly activities statements.
    Currency Conversion in Margin Account
  1. No. There is no need to convert your funds into the settlement currency before placing an order. Any currency conversion will be done for you after your buy order is executed.
  2. You can only borrow the margin loan in Hong Kong dollars and/or U.S. dollars.

    Please note that if you buy stock that settled in U.S. dollars while you do not have U.S. dollars in your account, we will lend you U.S. dollars. If you buy stocks that settled in currencies other than U.S. dollars, we will lend you Hong Kong dollars.

    For example: You bought some Singapore stocks settled in SGD. You do not have SGD in your account or the SGD is insufficient, BOOM will lend HKD to cover the shortage in SGD.
  3. Same as cash account, if your margin account does not have sufficient fund in the settlement currency to cover the executed trades, we will arrange currencies conversion to cover the deficit currencies on the next business day.

    When we perform the currencies conversion, BOOM will follow the "Currencies Conversion Sequence" of your BOOM account. BOOM will firstly sell the currencies at the top of the sequence, if exhausted, then move down to the next currency.

    To define the "Currencies Conversion Sequence", please login to your BOOM account, then go to the "Currencies Conversion Setting" under "Currencies Conversion" of the "Funds & Account" section.

    However, if you want to borrow HKD or USD so that you can keep the cash balance in other currencies, you can change your "Conversion Preference" to "NOT cover the negative cash balances(s) in HKD/USD". Therefore, BOOM will NOT convert currenc(ies) to cover your HKD or USD deficit in your Margin Account.

    Example 1: If you have positive cash balance in AUD but negative in HKD, BOOM will convert your "surplus" AUD to cover your shortage in HKD. However, if you would like to keep the "surplus" AUD for the coming buy orders on Australian stocks, you can change your "Conversion Preference" to "NOT cover the negative cash balances(s) in HKD/USD". Then, BOOM will not change your AUD into HKD, but will lend you margin loan in HKD.

    Example 2: If you only have positive cash balance in SGD, but the amount is not enough to cover the negative in JPY, BOOM will convert all your "surplus" balance (i.e. SGD) into JPY. Then, for the remaining balance of JPY in short, BOOM will follow the "Currencies Conversion Sequence" of your account and lend you either HKD or USD to cover the shortage in JPY.

    In addition to letting BOOM arranges currencies conversion for you, you can give BOOM any specific instruction to convert a currency to another. You can do it by simply clicking "FX Instructions" on the "Currencies Conversion" page of the "Funds & Account" section.
For more details, please refer to FAQs on Currency Conversion
    Margin Financing Facilities (the "Margin Value")
  1. All stocks listed in Hong Kong, U.S. (including NYSE, NYSE MKT, NYSE Arca and NASDAQ), Japan, Singapore and Australia markets can be used as collateral for margin financing ("marginable stocks"), except for warrants, suspended, illiquid and "penny" stocks.
  2. The margin ratio is ranged from 10% to 70% of the market value of the marginable stocks.

    Maximum margin ratios are vary by marginable stocks. Please login and refer to the Marginable Stocks List for details.

    Note: The list of marginable stocks and respective margin ratio are subject to change at the BOOM's discretion without prior notice.
  3. Margin value is the amount of margin financing facilities available for you. It is a fluctuated amount calculated from the market value and the margin ratio of the marginable stocks you are holding in your margin account (i.e. the collaterals).

    In order words, Margin Value = Market Value x Margin Ratio.

    Example: You are holding one marginable stock in your portfolio, and its margin ratio is 50%.

    Market Value Margin Ratio Margin Value
    Market Value
    $100,000
    Margin Ratio
    50%
    Margin Value
    $50,000
  4. The margin value of each of the marginable stock held and the total margin value of your margin account are displayed online in the "My Portfolio" section.
  5. Yes. Your margin account will have a margin limit, which is the maximum amount that BOOM will lend to you. It is subject to change at BOOM's discretion.
    Trading with Margin Value
  1. You can use the margin value (i.e. available margin financing facilities) to purchase any security listed on 17 markets that BOOM offers for trading.
  2. Just like placing orders in a cash account, you can directly use the margin value (i.e. available margin financing facilities) in your margin account to buy additional stocks.

    For example: There are $20,000 of cash and $18,000 of margin value in your margin account. When you buy $30,000 of a stock, the $20,000 will be paid by cash and $10,000 paid by margin loan lent to you. And you have $8,000 unused margin value remains in the account.

    Please note that the margin loan interest will be calculated starting from the settlement day.
  3. Yes. Even you do not have any stock holding in your margin account, you can still enjoy margin financing facilities when you buy any marginable stock. Your buying power to purchase marginable stocks will be enhanced by the respective margin ratio.

    For example: When you input an order to buy a marginable stock with 50% margin ratio, say HSBC in Hong Kong, our system will calculate your buying power by doubling your cash balance. That is, if you have HKD 50,000 cash balance, you can input a buy order to buy up to HKD 100,000 worth of HSBC.
  4. The amount of margin loan you borrowed is indicated as the negative cash balance(s) in your margin account.
  5. When you sell your stocks, the sales proceeds will be used to repay the margin loan. If your sales proceeds are not enough to cover your loan, you might need to transfer funds into your margin account.
    Margin Loan Interest
  1. BOOM will charge interest on the margin loan (i.e. any outstanding amount on or after trade settlement day) at H.K. Prime Rate (currently is at 5%) plus 3% p.a. or financing cost plus 3% p.a., whichever is higher, and the interest rate applied is subject to change from time to time.

    The margin loan interest rates ("debit interest rate") are shown in your daily / monthly activities statements.
  2. Interest will only be charged on the margin loan (i.e. any outstanding amount on or after trade settlement day (e.g. settlement-day for Hong Kong market is T+2, i.e. 2 days after "trade date")). The loan interest is calculated on the "due" balance on a daily basis.

    [Example 1] Buy stock on margin and take profits one week later, need to pay interests for 7 days.

    You have HKD 24,000 of cash in your margin account. You borrow HKD 36,000 to buy HKD 60,000 of Stock Y (Hong Kong stock) on April 1, 2013 (Friday) and sell it to take profit on April 8, 2013 (Friday). BOOM will start to calculate the margin loan interest on the settlement day of the buy trade, i.e. April 5, 2013 (Tuesday), until the settlement day of the sell trade, i.e. April 12, 2013 (Tuesday).



    [Example 2] Buy stock on margin and repay the loan on the settlement day, NO need to pay interests.

    You have HKD 50,000 of cash in your margin account. You borrow HKD 20,000 to buy HKD 70,000 of Stock Z (Hong Kong stock) on April 1, 2013 (Friday) and then deposit HKD 20,000 of cash into your account on the settlement day of the buy trade, i.e. April 5, 2013 (Tuesday). As there is no outstanding loan at the end of the settlement day, no interest will be charged from your account.

  3. The margin loan interest will be deducted from your margin account at the end of the month.
  4. No. There will NOT be any interest charged on the unused margin value (i.e. stand-by margin financing facilities) in your margin account.
    Margin Call
  1. When the amount you borrowed (i.e. margin loan) is higher than the available amount of margin financing facility (i.e. margin value) in your account, there will be a margin call.

    It is generally due to the fall of market price of the marginable stocks (the collaterals) you are holding. When the market value of the collaterals decreases, the margin value of your account will decrease accordingly.
  2. When you receive a margin call, you must cover the call by:
    • depositing the called amount of funds, or
    • liquidating some stocks in your account.

    Generally, you have one business day to meet the call. However, this can be shorter in volatile market conditions. BOOM retains the right to liquidate adequate securities in your margin account in order to meet the margin call requirement.
  3. Once the margin call is triggered, you have the obligation to fulfill the requirement even the equity value of your margin account returns to a higher level as the market rebounds.
  4. BOOM will use its best endeavors to contact you about the margin call. However, you will be held responsible of your account activities at all times and should be aware of your risk exposure when using the margin financing facilities.

    Please bear in mind that BOOM reserves the right to liquidate adequate securities in your margin account in order to meet the margin call requirement.

Last Update: July 2017.