What Are Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 Futures (MNQ)?

By NinjaTrader

 

Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures empower traders to speculate the Nasdaq-100 Index in a contract 1/10th the size of standard E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures. The Nasdaq-100 index is comprised of 100 leading large-cap American technology companies.

Launched in May 2019 by the CME Group, Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures (MNQ) allows traders to participate in the US equity markets with a significantly reduced financial commitment. This micro-sized contract mimics the full-size E-mini Nasdaq-100 contract and the charts are nearly identical.

Gaining instant popularity, Micro E-mini futures volume exceeded 11.25 million contracts in the first 30 days of trading!

Why Trade Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 Futures?

Micro E-mini Nasdaq futures require less of a financial commitment than full size E-minis. Therefore, the MNQ is an ideal instrument for those who wish to gain exposure to the Nasdaq-100 index with less capital.

Additionally, while only being able to trade one contract of NQ futures, a trader with the same account size can flexibly scale in & out of an MNQ position with multiple contracts.

MNQ futures offer investors both long and short opportunities to trade the Nasdaq. Micro equity futures allow traders to access American stock markets without a large financial burden or margin requirement. Some traders trade the MNQ as a way to hedge their stock exposure, while others use this tech-heavy index futures instrument to find growth and diversification opportunities.

Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures trade virtually around the clock electronically and attracts participants from all over the world.

Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 Futures Contract Specs:

  • Exchange: Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME)
  • Class: Futures
  • Trading Symbol: MNQ
  • Contract Size: $2 x Nasdaq-100 Index
  • Pricing Unit: U.S. Dollars
  • Tick Size: 0.25
  • Tick Value: $0.50
  • Point Value: 1 = $2
  • Intraday Margin: $50
  • Contract Months: March, June, September & December
  • Trading Hours: Sunday to Friday 6:00 pm – 5:00 pm ET
  • Position Limit: 100 contracts

Learn more about Micro E-mini Futures in this 2-minute video

 

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