Cross-Margin Risk Exposure
Cross-margin risk exposure refers to a margin system where the collateral balance of an entire account is used to support all open positions, rather than isolating collateral for individual trades. While this provides greater capital efficiency by allowing unrealized profits from one position to offset losses in another, it creates a systemic risk where a single catastrophic failure in one trade can lead to the liquidation of the entire portfolio.
In the context of derivatives, this mechanism links the health of various positions, meaning volatility in one asset can trigger forced liquidations across the entire account. Understanding this interdependency is vital for risk managers to prevent contagion within their own trading accounts during periods of extreme market turbulence.