Products Information
Index Products
Trading index futures enables you to participate in broad market moves with one trading decision, without having to select individual issues. CME’s index futures and options contracts closely follow the price movement of their respective underlying indexes. These products are widely used by financial professionals as well as individual investors, for portfolio protection as well as investment reward.
Big Contract S&P 500
The S&P 500 Stock Index has long been the benchmark by which professionals measure portfolio performance. The Standard & Poor's Corporation designed and maintains the S&P 500 to be an accurate proxy for a diversified equity portfolio. The Index is based on the stock prices of 500 large-capitalization companies. The S&P 500 is capitalization-weighted, representing the market value of all outstanding common shares of the firms listed (share price x shares outstanding). This means that a change in the price of any one stock influences the index in proportion to the relative market value of that firm's outstanding shares.
E-Mini S&P 500
The E-Mini S&P 500® futures and options on futures from Chicago Mercantile Exchange are small but powerful contracts for the individual investor. These contracts are based on the same leading S&P 500 index as the most actively traded stock index contract in the world – S&P 500 futures – but are a fraction of the size. The Mini enables you to participate in and profit from the benchmark index tracked by pension and mutual funds around the country.
| E-Mini S&P 500 Contracts | |
|---|---|
| Ticker Symbol |
ES AON: EG |
| Contract Size | $50 times E-Mini S&P 500 futures price |
| Price Limits | 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% |
| Minimum Price Fluctuation (Tick) |
.25 index points = $12.50 per contract (Futures calendar spreads: .05 index points
= $2.50 per contract) |
| Contract Months | Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec |
| Regular Trading Hours (Central Time) | Virtually 24 hours per day (from 5:30 p.m. Sunday to 3:15 p.m. Friday) |
| Last Trading Day | Trading can occur up to 8:30 a.m. (Chicago Time) on the third Friday of the contract month |
| Final Settlement Date | The third Friday of the contract month |
| Position Limits | Position limits work in conjunction with existing S&P 500 position limits |
