The amount of money needed to trade Micro E-mini Futures varies from market to market and trader to trader, based on their goals and strategies. When trading futures, market participants need to have enough money in their accounts to cover the margin and the commission for each trade.

Micro E-mini Futures are smaller-sized equity index futures contracts. At just 1/10 the size of a standard e-mini futures contract, Micro E-mini Futures provide a low-cost entry point for new traders looking to participate in markets with a reduced financial commitment. They are also very popular among seasoned futures traders looking for increased flexibility and position management.

• S&P 500 Index: Micro E-mini S&P 500 futures (MES)
• Dow Jones Industrial Average: Micro E-mini Dow futures (MYM)
• Nasdaq-100 Index: Micro E-mini Nasdaq futures (MNQ)
• Russell 2000 Index: Micro E-mini Russell futures (M2K)

Just one benefit of Micro E-mini futures trading is the ability to trade around-the-clock. Compared to stocks and ETFs where you can only trade 6.5 hours a day, futures products trade nearly 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. Trading hours for futures contracts are determined by their respective exchanges. Each category, such as metals or equity index, has its own opening and closing times.

View the trading hours for each futures exchange below:

• Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME)
• Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)
• Eurex
• Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE)

Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures offer access to Standard & Poor's 500 Index in a contract 1/10 the size of a standard e-mini contract. The ticker symbol for Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures contracts is MES.

Micro E-mini futures contracts are only active for a set amount of time before they expire. Each futures market has its own expiration dates. Prior to a contract expiring, futures traders must either exit their active position or “roll” their position to a later contract month of the same underlying asset.

Bookmark NinjaTrader's Trade Desk Calendar and stay current on Micro E-mini Futures roll dates and contract expirations.

A margin in futures trading refers to the amount of equity that a trader must deposit with a Micro E-mini futures broker to cover any credit risk. It is essentially a line of credit used to trade.

NinjaTrader offers clients competitive $50 intraday margins for Micro E-mini contracts and only $500 for popular futures markets including the E-mini S&P 500.