What is Buying Power?
In your Public account, you will see funds listed under Buying Power. Your buying power is the amount of funds you have available for purchasing assets.
Buying power includes your settled funds. It may not include funds that are still settling from trades or recent deposits. It will not include funds that have already been used for purchases.
What are Settled and Unsettled funds?
Settlement for Deposits: When you initiate a deposit into your Public account, there are verification processes that take place between our processing partners and your bank. While deposits are processing, the funds are considered unsettled. Once deposits into your Public account have fully processed, the funds are considered settled. There is a 6-business day settlement time for deposits into your Public account (effective 5/28/24: deposits will be on a 3-business day hold).
If you make more than $55,000 deposits within six business days, funds deposited above $55,000 will be subject to a 6-business day settlement time.
Settlement for Trades: After a trade, there is a settlement process as well. Trade settlement is the period of time when the purchased assets are delivered, and the seller receives funds. Funds from a trade settle when the trade settles. Please keep in mind that various asset classes may have different settlement periods.
How does Options Buying Power differ?
Options buying power specifically refers to the amount of funds you have available for purchasing Options. Since Options are more volatile and risky than other asset classes, there may be times when your Options buying power is lower than your buying power available to purchase stocks, ETFs, crypto, bonds, and treasuries.
Your Options buying power may exclude unsettled deposits, including instant deposits, if your account has previously had an ACH reversal, your account has restrictions, or due to the results of a recent balance check performed by our systems.
For further questions contact Member Support via in-app chat or email at support@public.com.
Options carry significant risk and are not suitable for all investors. Options investors can rapidly lose the value of their investment in a short period of time and incur permanent loss by expiration date. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk. There are additional costs associated with option strategies that call for multiple purchases and sales of options. Supporting documentation for any claims will be furnished upon request. Prior to buying or selling an option, investors must read and understand the “Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options,” which can be found at: public.com/ODD. See full terms of the Options Order Flow Rebate Program at public.com/disclosures/rebate-terms. Rebate rates are subject to change for new and existing enrollees.