Question

You are bearish on Telecom and decide to sell short 100 shares at the current market price of $50 per share.

a. How much in cash or securities must you put into your brokerage account if the broker's initial margin requirement is 50% of the value of the short position?
b. How high can the price of the stock go before you get a margin call if the maintenance margin is 30% of the value of the short position?

Answer 1

A. $2,500

B. $60

Step-by-step explanation:

A. Calculation to determine How much in cash or securities must you put into your brokerage account if the broker's initial margin requirement is 50% of the value of the short position

Initial Margin = 100*$50*50%

Initial Margin = $2,500

Therefore The amount of securities that you must put into your brokerage account if the broker's initial margin requirement is 50% of the value of the short position is $2,500

b. Calculation to determine How high can the price of the stock go before you get a margin call if the maintenance margin is 30% of the value of the short position

First step is to calculate the Maintenance Margin per share

Maintenance Margin per share = $50*30%

Maintenance Margin per share =$15

Second step is to calculate the Rise in price required

Rise in price required = $50*50% - $15

Rise in price required= $10

Now let calculate How high can the price of the stock go

Price of stock=$50+$10

Price of stock= $60

Therefore How high can the price of the stock go before you get a margin call if the maintenance margin is 30% of the value of the short position is $60