Equity IndexESCME Globex

E-mini S&P 500

About E-mini S&P 500

The E-mini S&P 500 (ES) is the world's most actively traded equity index futures contract. It provides leveraged exposure to the S&P 500 index at one-fifth the size of the standard contract. Institutional and retail traders alike use ES for speculation, hedging equity portfolios, and gaining broad US market exposure. Average daily volume regularly exceeds 1.5 million contracts.

E-mini S&P 500 Price Chart

Loading chart…

Contract Specifications

Contract Size: $50 × S&P 500 index value
Tick Size / Value: 0.25 index points = $12.50 per tick
Exchange: CME Globex

Trading Hours

Nearly 24 hours: Sun 18:00 – Fri 17:00 ET with a daily maintenance halt 17:00–18:00 ET. Regular trading hours (RTH) are 09:30–16:15 ET.

Margin Notes

Intraday margin varies by broker (~$500–$1,500 for day trading). Exchange maintenance margin around $12,000–$13,000.

More Equity Index Futures

DAX Futures

FDAX · Eurex

DAX futures (FDAX) on Eurex are Europe's most liquid equity index futures, tracking Germany's DAX 40. With a notional value often exceeding €450,000, FDAX attracts institutional players. The Mini-DAX (FDXM) at €5/point makes it accessible for smaller traders. DAX futures are a key vehicle for trading European macro sentiment.

FTSE 100 Futures

Z · ICE Futures Europe

FTSE 100 futures on ICE provide exposure to the UK's leading blue-chip index. Widely used by UK pension funds and asset managers for hedging. Retail traders use CFDs modelled on these futures. The FTSE tends to be influenced by commodity prices (mining/oil constituents) and GBP movements.

Nikkei 225 Futures (Yen)

NKD · CME Globex

CME-listed Nikkei 225 futures allow global traders to access Japan's premier equity index outside of Tokyo trading hours. Available in both yen-denominated (CME) and dollar-denominated variants. Nikkei futures are popular for cross-market correlation trades and Asia session positioning.

E-mini Dow Jones