Markets
Know the underlying before you open a lot.
Listed contracts are exchange-traded standardised futures. Filter the markets page by FX, energy, metals, indices and crypto.
The same underlying appears in more than one size and more than one month:
0000 — Perps (continuous contract). A spliced series for charting. Not a dated contract. It cannot be opened.
Front — The current front month. Usually the best liquidity.
No Front tag — A back month. It can be traded. Volume and the bid-ask are often worse than the front month. That bid-ask is the exchange book, not a CFD spread.
Mini / micro — A smaller size of the same underlying. Listed examples include E-mini S&P (ES), Micro S&P (MES), Micro Nasdaq (MNQ), Micro Gold (MGC) and Micro WTI (MCL). Micro means a smaller lot: notional and margin scale down with the multiplier, so you can take part with less cash. It is not a lower-risk market.
To open, pick a dated month and a size. Margin follows the exchange. The platform does not set leverage. The tables below list a reference margin per lot in the exchange’s currency; the trade page shows the actual figure.
The notes below are general descriptions. They are not investment advice.
1. Margin, multiplier and leverage
| Item | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Margin | Locked to open. Use the trade page. |
| Leverage | Order value ÷ margin used. The platform does not set the multiple. |
| Contract multiplier | How much index or commodity one contract represents. |
| Tick value | P&L of one minimum price increment. |
| Micro contract | Smaller multiplier. Notional and margin scale down. |
| Standard / mini contract | Larger multiplier. The same tick moves P&L more. |
| SECOND LIFE | Account-level. It does not change a contract’s margin or its volatility. |
2. FX futures
These follow the currency. Moves are usually smaller than crude or equity indices, and can jump on central-bank decisions, non-farm payrolls or geopolitics. All are CME.
| Contract | Code | Exchange | Margin / lot | Note (not advice) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUD | 6A | CME | US$1,750 | Commodity currency. Tied to risk appetite and China demand. |
| GBP | 6B | CME | US$1,700 | Usually more volatile than the euro. Sensitive to UK data. |
| CAD | 6C | CME | US$800 | Tied to oil and the US–Canada rate spread. |
| EUR | 6E | CME | US$2,100 | One of the most liquid FX futures. |
| JPY | 6J | CME | US$2,800 | Funding / haven currency. Volatility rises in risk events. |
| CHF | 6S | CME | US$3,300 | Haven characteristics. Usually quieter than sterling. |
Typical profile: steadier tape in many sessions. Margin is often lower than equity-index or crude lots of similar participation.
3. Equity-index futures
These track major stock indices. US contracts trade long hours. Hang Seng and A50 are more concentrated in the Asian session.
| Contract | Code | Exchange | Margin / lot | Note (not advice) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-mini S&P | ES | CME | US$12,000 | US benchmark. Best liquidity. |
| Micro S&P | MES | CME | US$2,400 | Multiplier about one-tenth of ES. |
| E-mini Nasdaq | NQ | CME | US$20,000 | Same Nasdaq-100 as MNQ. Larger multiplier than MNQ. |
| Micro Nasdaq | MNQ | CME | US$3,900 | Heavy tech weight. Usually more volatile than the S&P. |
| HSI | HSI | HKEX | HK$102,000 | Hong Kong benchmark. Asian hours. Priced in HKD. |
| Mini-HSI | MHI | HKEX | HK$20,500 | Same Hang Seng Index as HSI. Smaller multiplier. |
| HSCEI | HHI | HKEX | HK$39,000 | Hang Seng China Enterprises Index. Priced in HKD. |
| A50 | CN | SGX | US$950 | FTSE China A50. Usually priced in USD. |
| DAX | FDAX | Eurex | €49,000 | German benchmark. European hours. EUR settlement. |
| Mini-DAX | FDXM | Eurex | €10,000 | Same index as FDAX. Smaller multiplier. |
| E-mini Dow | YM | CBOT | US$15,500 | Dow Jones Industrial Average. CBOT, not CME. |
Typical profile: deep books. Long hours on the US names. Micros cut the size of one lot.
4. Energy
Crude reacts to supply, inventories and geopolitics. Trends arrive fast. Drawdowns do too.
| Contract | Code | Exchange | Margin / lot | Note (not advice) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WTI | CL | CME | US$7,800 | Standard WTI. Large tick value. |
| E-mini Crude | QM | CME | US$3,900 | Same WTI as CL. Multiplier smaller than CL, larger than MCL. |
| Micro WTI | MCL | CME | US$1,000 | Same WTI as CL. Multiplier about one-tenth of CL. |
| Natural Gas | NG | CME | US$2,900 | Inventories, weather and supply. Usually more volatile than crude. |
Typical profile: efficient when the trend is clear. Micros still give access.
5. Metals
Gold and silver move with real rates, the dollar and haven flows. Copper tracks industry and risk appetite. Silver is usually more volatile than gold.
| Contract | Code | Exchange | Margin / lot | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | GC | CME | US$9,600 | Haven and monetary metal. |
| Micro Gold | MGC | CME | US$2,200 | Same underlying as GC. Multiplier about one-tenth of GC. |
| Copper | HG | CME | US$6,200 | Industrial metal. Tied to the manufacturing cycle. |
| Silver | SI | CME | US$18,000 | Precious and industrial. Usually more volatile than gold. |
| Micro Silver | SIL | CME | US$3,600 | Same silver as SI. Multiplier about one-tenth of SI. |
Typical profile: liquid. Counterparties exist across global hours.
Notice
Futures trading involves risk of loss and liquidation. Losses may exceed margin posted. This page describes listed contracts. It is not investment advice and does not guarantee recovery of principal or profit. Margin, the listed set and the front month follow the markets page and the trade page. You must be 18 or the legal age in your jurisdiction. Restricted countries follow the platform notice.