The minimum tick for E-mini S&P 500 futures (ES) is 0.25 index points, which equals $12.50 per contract. A one-point move in ES is worth $50 per contract.

ES futures trade nearly 24 hours a day, five days a week. Trading runs Sunday at 5:00 PM CT through Friday at 4:00 pm CT, with a one-hour daily maintenance break from 4:00 PM to 5:00 pm CT.

The E-mini S&P 500 (ES) has a $50 multiplier and a tick value of $12.50. The Micro E-mini S&P 500 (MES) is one-tenth the size—$5 multiplier, $1.25 tick value. MES gives traders access to the same S&P 500 market with significantly less capital per contract.

Margin requirements vary by broker and change with market conditions. NinjaTrader offers competitive intraday margins on ES futures—check the current margins page for the latest rates.

Yes. Unlike stocks and ETFs that trade 6.5 hours a day, ES futures trade nearly 24 hours a day, giving traders the ability to react to overnight news, pre-market economic reports, and global market events in real time.