Leverage changes over weekends and holidays: check your broker's notice

[FXS London Scalper]

Last November I held a small EURJPY swing over a weekend, something I rarely do, and didn't read a broker email that went out on Thursday. Margin requirements on several pairs went up for the weekend because of an election, and my free margin on Friday afternoon was a lot lower than I expected. Nothing was closed, but it was closer than I like.

Since then I've been saving these notices. The patterns I've seen:

• Leverage on specific pairs cut, for example from 1:30 to 1:10, for a few days around elections, referendums or central bank meetings with a big surprise risk.
• The higher margin applied to positions already open, not only to new ones. That is the part people miss.
• Changes taking effect in the early afternoon on Friday, hours before the market closes, so it can't be fixed after the weekend.
• Holiday trading hours bundled into the same email, with shortened sessions and wider spreads expected.

For a day scalper who is flat every night, this mostly doesn't matter. For anyone holding over a weekend, or running an EA that can leave a position open, it does.

My routine now: Thursday evening I read every broker email and the news page, and I add any margin changes to my calendar. Which brokers have you found communicate these changes clearly and early?