• Eminis

Contract Size

E-mini contract sizes vary based on the value of the index but are around US $50K. For example an E-mini on the S&P 500 is worth US $50 x E-mini S&P 500 futures price. An E Mini on the NASDAQ – 100 is worth $20 x E-mini NASDAQ-100 futures price; on the Dow its $5 x E-mini ($5) Dow futures price. They trade in calendar cycles with quarterly expiry months. For a full list of E Minis on Equity Indexes go to the CME/ CBOT site.

Minimum price moves

In keeping with a smaller contract size than that of the major futures contracts they mimic, tick or point moves are correspondingly lower. The minimum fluctuation (or tick) varies with each index, the most popular E Minis having the following minimum dollar moves.

Source

Trading Hours

Virtually around the clock except for a daily maintenance shutdown 4:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.US Central Time.

Why Trade E Minis?

There are a number of reasons but cost heads the list. Trading involves costs other than just commissions. The biggest is lack of liquidity leading to wide spreads and poor execution. In the case of E Minis liquidity is not an issue as the cash market which the E Minis relate are amongst the biggest. Deep liquid markets with tight bid / offer spreads means the cost of buying and selling is kept to a minimum. In summary E Minis provide a leveraged contract with trading commissions as low as $5.00 USD per round trip( buy & sell ), mo market maker spreads, little slippage, high Leverage and the ability to go long or short.