Futures
Mini vs micro, ticks, point values, and how Hextrade sizes exchange futures.
A futures contract is a standardized agreement to buy or sell an instrument at a future date. Size, tick, and expiration are set by the exchange (CME, COMEX, NYMEX, CBOT).
- Traded on an exchange through a futures broker
- Margin and daily settlement follow exchange rules
- One point of price movement has a fixed dollar value
- You trade contracts, not lots
Running the same algorithm on a CFD broker? See CFDs. Hyperliquid tokenized indexes are on Crypto.
| Ticker | Instrument | Exchange |
|---|---|---|
 NQ | Nasdaq 100 Futures | CME |
 ES | S&P 500 Futures | CME |
 GC | Gold Futures | COMEX |
 CL | Crude Oil Futures | NYMEX |
 YM | Dow Jones Futures | CBOT |
 NKD | Nikkei 225 Futures | CME |
 BTC | Bitcoin Futures | CME |
 ETH | Ethereum Futures | CME |
Supported futures brokers
ProjectX
Tradovate
NinjaTrader
Rithmic
Volumetrica
CQGWhat is a mini?
Mini is the standard E-mini (or equivalent) size — NQ, ES, YM, GC, CL. One mini NQ is $20 per index point. A 10-point move is $200 per contract.
Historically “E-mini” was already smaller than the original full-size S&P. In Hextrade, mini = the main listed contract.
What is a micro?
A micro is usually 1/10 of the mini. Start with 1 micro when you attach an algorithm or test a webhook.
| Ticker | Mini ($/pt) | Micro ($/pt) | Micro vs mini |
|---|---|---|---|
| NQNasdaq 100 | NQ · $20 | MNQ · $2 | 1/10 |
| ESS&P 500 | ES · $50 | MES · $5 | 1/10 |
| YMDow Jones | YM · $5 | MYM · $0.50 | 1/10 |
| NKDNikkei 225 | NKD · $5 | MKD · $1 | 1/5 |
| GCGold | GC · $100 | MGC · $10 | 1/10 |
| CLCrude Oil | CL · $1,000 | MCL · $100 | 1/10 |
| BTCBitcoin | BTC · $5 | MBT · $0.50 | 1/10 |
| ETHEthereum | ETH · $50 | MET · $5 | 1/10 |
Warning
One mini is about 10× the dollar risk of one micro (except Nikkei, which is 1/5). Do not flip an account from micro to mini without changing quantity.
Futures P&L
P&L = price move × contracts × $/point
Example — NQ up 10 points:
- 1 MNQ:
10 × $2 = $20 - 1 NQ:
10 × $20 = $200 - 3 MNQ:
10 × 3 × $2 = $60
Ticks vs points
A tick is the smallest price increment. A point is 1.00 on the quote.
| Ticker | Tick | Mini $ / tick | Micro $ / tick |
|---|---|---|---|
| NQ / MNQ | 0.25 | $5 | $0.50 |
| ES / MES | 0.25 | $12.50 | $1.25 |
| YM / MYM | 1.00 | $5 | $0.50 |
| GC / MGC | 0.10 | $10 | $1 |
| CL / MCL | 0.01 | $10 | $1 |
| NKD / MKD | 5.00 | $25 | $5 |
Webhook tp and sl are ticks, not dollars. 20 ticks on NQ = 5 points = $10 on MNQ.
What to set on a futures account
Choose mini or micro so it matches the symbol the account actually trades. Confirm one small fill before you scale.
See Algorithms, Portfolio, and TradingView webhooks.