The margin increases on precious metals futures are part of a broader global trend as CME Group has raised initial and maintenance margins for COMEX 100 gold and COMEX 5000 silver futures following recent market volatility. According to CNBC TV18, initial margin for COMEX 5000 silver futures has been increased to 18% from 15% for non-high-risk profile accounts, while maintenance margin has also been raised to 18% from 15%. For high-risk profile accounts, initial margin has been lifted to 19.8% from 16.5%, with maintenance margin moving up to 18% from 15%. Separately, CME has also tightened requirements for gold, with initial margin on COMEX 100 gold futures rising to 9% from 8%. These global adjustments come after CME Group had already announced broader margin hikes for precious metals on January 31, 2026, following sharp price swings in the market. As per The Economic Times, CME Group has increased margin requirements for gold and silver futures to manage heightened market volatility, with both initial and maintenance margins for COMEX 100 Gold Futures raised to 9% from 8% for Non-Heightened Risk Profile accounts.
Multi Commodity Exchange Clearing Corporation (MCXCCL), part of India's largest commodity exchange, has implemented additional margin requirements on gold and silver futures contracts. According to reports from The Hindu BusinessLine, MCXCCL announced the decision to levy an additional margin of 4.5% in silver futures contracts (all variants) and 1% in gold future contracts (all variants) with effect from February 5, 2026. The exchange stated this measure is taken in view of periodic review of adequacy of risk management measures and to mitigate systemic risk. Starting February 6, 2026, MCXCCL has imposed additional margin of 2.5% in Silver Futures contracts (all variants) and 2% in Gold futures contracts (all variants) over and above the margin levied on Thursday. As per The Economic Times, the rates will be effective after the close of business on Friday, February 6, reflecting the exchange's response to current market conditions.
Gold and silver futures experienced significant declines on MCX Thursday, with silver futures for March 5, 2026 plunging 10% to ₹2,43,006 per kg and gold futures for April 2, 2026 delivery slipping 3% to ₹1,48,455 per 10 grams. According to ETMarkets.com, the decline followed news of upcoming U.S.-Iran talks in Oman, which dampened safe-haven demand. In international markets, spot silver tumbled as much as 16.6% and spot gold dropped as much as 3.5% in choppy trading. The price crash occurred despite both precious metals having snapped a two-day winning streak, highlighting the volatile nature of current market conditions. As per The Economic Times, precious metals have seen wild swings over the last few sessions, with gold and silver posting their steepest losses in decades last Friday after hitting record highs earlier that week. Spot gold gained 2.6% to $4,894.99 per ounce by 0601 GMT, after falling to a session low of $4,654.29 earlier on Friday, while silver was 5.5% higher at $75.15, having slumped to a near two-month low of $63.99 earlier.
The margin increases come amid significant volatility in both gold and silver prices in recent days. According to analyst comments reported by The Hindu BusinessLine, both precious metals have experienced substantial price movements, creating increased risk exposure for market participants. Additionally, the volatility in value of the rupee against the dollar has enhanced the risk further in the domestic markets, contributing to the exchange's decision to strengthen risk management measures. As per The Economic Times, CME Group has so far increased margins three times - on January 30, February 2, and the latest one since effective January 13, the U.S. exchange operator has been setting margins for gold, silver, platinum and palladium based on a percentage of contract value. The latest global margin adjustments by CME Group reflect this heightened market uncertainty and the need for exchanges to manage risk during periods of increased volatility, with margins being deposits that investors in futures markets pay to an exchange or clearing house to cover the risk of a default.
Market experts are providing specific trading recommendations amid the current volatility. Manoj Kumar Jain of Prithvi Finmart expects silver to hold support near $71 per troy ounce and gold around $4,440 per troy ounce on a weekly closing basis. For gold, he recommends buying above ₹154,000 with a stop loss below ₹151,800 for targets of ₹156,800–₹158,500, while for silver, he suggests buying above ₹270,000 with a stop loss below ₹261,100 for targets of ₹278,000–₹284,000. On MCX, gold has support at ₹1,50,500–₹1,47,700 and resistance at ₹1,56,800–₹1,60,000, while silver has support at ₹2,61,100–₹2,55,000 and resistance at ₹2,78,000–₹2,86,000. The margin increases typically require traders to post more collateral to hold or initiate positions, which can affect participation by smaller market players with limited capital.