# Overview The Pascal Protocol employs an advanced margin methodology, calculated using dynamic risk models that align collateral obligations with the actual risks of traders’ portfolios. Margin requirements are determined through a Value-at-Risk methodology that consolidates varied exposures into a single, stable metric, adjusting to current market conditions. This is designed to enable significantly greater capital efficiency and provide a level playing field where none of the participants are incentivised to create liquidations of other entities. ### Margin Methodology This model accounts for factors like volatility, correlations, and tail risks to estimate potential losses within a specified confidence interval. The initial margin establishes a baseline threshold for sufficient collateralisation, including a concentration adjustment to limit risks from an over concentration of open interest in a single portfolio. The required margin then denotes the level at which liquidation is triggered to restrict further exposure. This framework aligns collateral needs with dynamic portfolio risks for efficient capital use. ### Futures and Options Pricing The Futures Mark Price serves as an anchor for position valuation, incorporating a moving average basis to account for spreads between futures and spot prices. This approach ensures sensitivity to genuine market movements while insulating against temporary anomalies or manipulation. For options, the Black-Scholes model is calibrated to calculate Premium Mark Prices, capturing shifts in market sentiment through a real-time implied volatility surface. Options margining seamlessly integrates with the futures framework, utilising continuously updated hedge ratios derived from advanced pricing models that account for both delta and gamma. For perpetual contracts, funding rates are factored into the independent volatility parameters used in the VaR model. ### Liquidation Protocol and Counterparty Risk The liquidation protocol emphasises stability, fairness, and transparency in its design. It prioritises market order liquidations to realise fair value, utilising the Default Fund where necessary to cover losses. The fund itself is stringently managed by the protocol to ensure adequacy minimising counterparty risk through collective coverage of defaults. Counterparty liquidations are a last resort, utilised only to preserve market balance when all other measures are exhausted. The Deleverage Queue provides transparency, indicating the priority of positions. Additionally, the Default Prevention system proactively terminates risky limit orders to avert unnecessary liquidations. This mechanism evaluates the likelihood of execution and the post-fill impact on the margin ratio, pre-emptively cancelling orders that pose high default risks. Overall, Jetstream Platform built on Pascal Protocol, provides an optimal balance between efficient leveraged trading and robust safeguards for market integrity. Advanced risk models dynamically adjust margin requirements to align with actual portfolio exposures. Meanwhile, liquidation protocols emphasise stability, fairness and transparency in their procedures. The components synergise cohesively to facilitate responsible trading within a secure environment. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.jetstream.trade/margin-and-liquidations/overview.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.