An E-micro is a futures contract traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Globex electronic trading platform, that represents an even smaller fraction of the value of the normal futures contracts than the corresponding E-mini.
Currently, CME offers one E-micro stock market index contract, E-micro S&P CNX Nifty (Nifty 50) Futures, with a notional value of $2 x the S&P CNX Nifty index of Indian stocks, [1] and E-micro contracts for a number of currency futures pegged against the US Dollar (AUD, CAD, CHF, EUR, GBP, JPY). [2] E-micro gold futures contracts were introduced in October 2010. [3]
On 11 March 2019 CME Group announced the launch of Micro E-mini futures on the S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, Russell 2000 and Dow Jones Industrial Average indexes. The new contracts will be one-tenth the size of existing E-mini futures, and are set to be available for trading in May 2019. [4]
The table below lists some of the more popular E-micro contracts, with the initial and maintenance margin required by the issuing exchange. Note that individual brokers may require different margin amounts (also called performance bonds).
E-micro contract | Exchange | Ticker symbol | Multiplier | Tick size | Tick value | Initial margin | Maintenance margin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
E-micro S&P CNX Nifty (Nifty 50) Futures | CME | MNF | $5 x Index | $1.25 | 0.25 [5] | $3,125 | $2,500 [6] |
E-micro EUR/USD Futures | CME | M6E | 12,500 euros | US$0.0001/EUR | $1.25 [7] | $405 | $300 [6] |
E-micro Gold Futures | CME | MGC | 10 troy ounces | $0.10 | $1 [8] | $675 | $500 [6] |
A commodity market is a market that trades in the primary economic sector rather than manufactured products, such as cocoa, fruit and sugar. Hard commodities are mined, such as gold and oil. Futures contracts are the oldest way of investing in commodities. Futures are secured by physical assets. Commodity markets can include physical trading and derivatives trading using spot prices, forwards, futures, and options on futures. Farmers have used a simple form of derivative trading in the commodity market for centuries for price risk management.
The S&P 500, or simply the S&P, is a stock market index that measures the stock performance of 500 large companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. It is one of the most commonly followed equity indices.
In finance, a futures contract is a standardized legal agreement to buy or sell something at a predetermined price at a specified time in the future, between parties not known to each other. The asset transacted is usually a commodity or financial instrument. The predetermined price the parties agree to buy and sell the asset for is known as the forward price. The specified time in the future—which is when delivery and payment occur—is known as the delivery date. Because it is a function of an underlying asset, a futures contract is a derivative product.
A futures exchange or futures market is a central financial exchange where people can trade standardized futures contracts defined by the exchange. Futures contracts are derivatives contracts to buy or sell specific quantities of a commodity or financial instrument at a specified price with delivery set at a specified time in the future. Futures exchanges provide physical or electronic trading venues, details of standardized contracts, market and price data, clearing houses, exchange self-regulations, margin mechanisms, settlement procedures, delivery times, delivery procedures and other services to foster trading in futures contracts. Futures exchanges can be organized as non-profit member-owned organizations or as for-profit organizations. Futures exchanges can be integrated under the same brand name or organization with other types of exchanges, such as stock markets, options markets, and bond markets. Non-profit member-owned futures exchanges benefit their members, who earn commissions and revenue acting as brokers or market makers. For-profit futures exchanges earn most of their revenue from trading and clearing fees.
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E-Mini S&P, often abbreviated to "E-mini" and designated by the commodity ticker symbol ES, is a stock market index futures contract traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's Globex electronic trading platform. The notional value of one contract is 50 times the value of the S&P 500 stock index; thus, for example, on June 20, 2018, the S&P 500 cash index closed at 2,767.32, making each E-mini contract a $138,366 bet.
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Feeder cattle are steers or heifers mature enough to undergo backgrounding as backgrounding cattle, or mature enough to be directly fattened prior to slaughter. Backgrounding occurs at backgrounding operations and fattening occurs at a feedlot. Feeder calves are less than 1 year old; feeder yearlings are between 1 and 2 years old. Both types are often produced in a cow-calf operation. After attaining a desirable weight, feeder cattle become live cattle, that are sold to a packer. Packers slaughter the cattle and sell the meat in carcass boxed form.
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