amid the sharp drop in gold and silver prices, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) announced on Friday local time an increase in the margin requirements for Comex gold and silver futures trading. According to the statement, for non-high-risk accounts, the margin for gold futures will be raised from the current 6% of the contract value to 8%, while for high-risk accounts, the margin will increase from 6.6% to 8.8%. For silver, the margin for non-high-risk accounts will rise from 11% to 15%, and for high-risk accounts, it will increase from 12.1% to 16.5%. The margins for platinum and palladium futures will also be adjusted accordingly. The related adjustments will take effect after the close of trading next Monday.