Find The Futures Contracts Right For You
A futures contract, also known as a “future”, is an agreement to buy or sell an asset or security for a set price at a set date in the future. Futures allow traders to keep a finger on the pulse of various markets and potentially profit from making accurate estimations of how much an asset will be worth in the future.
With a lower initial investment to trade similar markets on Wall Street, futures can be a good fit for traders that want to trade in and out of positions intraday.
Futures Contracts Available To Trade At NinjaTrader
Learn about everything from energy futures and index futures to commodities, metals, and more.
Trade the S&P 500, Nasdaq, Russell or Dow Jones as futures contracts with NinjaTrader
Stock index futures are some of the most widely traded financial instruments, with benefits ranging from managing stock risk to profiting off of changes in the stock market. Index futures contracts include the E-mini S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100.
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Invest in various types of oil and gasoline
Energies are a cornerstone of the financial sector, and they serve as one of the most critical foundational components of our global society. Energy futures allow you to invest in various types of oil and gasoline, including Micro crude oil futures.
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E-mini Dow: Access Trade Opportunities Within One of the Most Actively Traded and Quoted Stock Indexes in the World
If you're looking to trade within one of the most actively traded and quoted stock indexes in the world, consider trading E-mini Dow index (YM) futures.
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Play Daily Market Action with Event Contracts
Place predictions on the top markets and profit when you are right. Event contracts from CME Group deliver a simple way to stake your views on market price moves.
Posted daily, event contracts are available for some of the world's most popular futures markets including the S&P, Nasdaq, Dow, metals, energies and currencies.
Open a Futures Account and Become a Futures Trader Today
As your futures contract broker, NinjaTrader is here to help you every step of the way—create an account now to unlock your trading potential. Our platform, brokerage, and various support teams are standing by to ensure you make the most of your futures contract trading experience with NinjaTrader.
Frequently Asked Questions About Futures Contracts
Yes, traders of all levels can trade the universe of futures with NinjaTrader. NinjaTrader is a well-regulated and well-established futures broker offering a wide range of innovative trading and analysis tools across our web, mobile, and award-winning desktop platforms.
Futures trading also offers some advantages that those who trade stocks may enjoy. Unlike stocks, options, and ETFs with their limited trading hours, futures offer virtually 24 hours of around-the-clock trading, allowing you to trade on your schedule and react to unique opportunities as they arise. With stocks you have a mandated minimum account size of $25,000 to trade actively. With futures, it is easy to get started; you can open a futures account with a minimum amount of starting capital. One of the biggest challenges stock traders face every day is the inability to short stocks and ETFs easily and consistently. With futures, selling is just as easy as buying, with good liquidity in most markets throughout the trading session.
The capital required to trade futures is based on the margin requirement set by the exchange. Margin rates vary from futures contract to futures contract and some markets are available to trade with as little as $50 per contract. The amount of money a trader is willing to risk on any one position must be based on their risk threshold and available capital to trade.
Metals futures are tradable contracts for many of the most critical precious and industrial metals utilized worldwide. Metals futures contracts in gold, silver, copper and others represent an agreement to buy or sell at a specific price for a stipulated expiration date and every futures market has a unique set of contract specifications.
At one-tenth the size of the standard E-mini futures contract, micro futures are an easy entry point into futures trading for all account sizes. Micro contracts offer seasoned futures traders a way to increase their trading flexibility and better manage risk. E-mini micro contracts are offered in a variety of markets. Here are some examples:
- S&P 500 index: Micro E-mini S&P 500 futures (Symbol = MES)
- Nasdaq-100 Index: Micro E-mini Nasdaq futures (Symbol = MNQ)
- Crude oil Micro contracts (Symbol = MCL)
- Gold Micro contracts (Symbol = MGC)
E-mini major market stock index futures are financial instruments designed for the buying or selling of the most popular stock market indices, including the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, Dow 30 industrials, and the Russell 2000. Traded on the CME exchange, these cash-settled futures have their own distinct set of contract specifications such as point value, expiration date, and minimum price movement.
The E-mini S&P 500 index futures are well-known for being among the most frequently traded stock index futures in the United States. This market enjoys a high volume of trading both domestically and globally, marking it as a key indicator of the overall state of the US stock market. Moreover, the Nasdaq 100 futures are also extensively traded, encompassing some of the biggest and most influential technology companies.
A futures contract, or a "future," is an agreement to buy or sell an asset or security at a predetermined price on a future date. The potential profit in futures is generated by the difference between how much the asset was agreed to be purchased for and how much the asset is worth on the purchase or sale date. Futures allow you to invest in the value of particular asset types, and they can profit from accurate predictions about the future worth of an asset or security.
Futures contracts and forward contracts are very similar in that they both involve two parties agreeing to sell and purchase an asset or security at a fixed price at a set date in the future. However, they have some key differences. A forward contract is a private agreement between two parties that resolves once the asset or security has been bought/sold. With forward contracts, there is great flexibility, little oversight, and a high amount of counterparty risk. On the other hand, futures contracts are standardized agreements that resolve on a day-to-day basis until the contracts end, allowing for more liquidity. Additionally, futures contracts are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). CFTC regulation helps protect investors from fraud and other risks to their accounts.
Energy futures represent a financial instrument that allows for the trading of important energy commodities such as crude oil, natural gas, gasoline, and heating oil. These contracts are traded on a well-regulated exchange, with each having unique contract specifications for point value, expiration date, and delivery.