Focusing on 500 large-cap common U.S. stocks, the S&P 500 is a narrower market indicator than the Russell 2000. The second-most followed index for large-cap stocks after the DJIA, the S&P 500 is given attention for its ability to predict and influence future market trends. The S&P 500 is the most popular product in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and it can be traded as a futures contract either in an open outcry auction or on electronic platforms.
| S&P 500 Contract Specifications | |
| Ticker Symbol | SP SP=Clearing |
| Contract Size | $250 x S&P 500 futures price |
| Tick Size (minimum fluctuation) |
OUTRIGHT: 0.10 index points=$25 CALENDAR SPREAD: 0.05 index points=$12.50 |
| Trading Hours | CME Globex: Mon-Fri 5:00pm previous day – 4:15pm CT Trading halt from 8:15am-3:30pm CT |
| Open Outcry: Mon-Fri 8:30am-3:15pm CT | |
| Contract Months/Symbols | CME Globex: One month in the March Quarterly Cycle (Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec) |
| Open Outcry: Eight months in the March Quarterly Cycle (Mar, Jun, Sep, Dec) plus three additional Dec contracts | |
| Last Trade Date | CME Globex: On the rollover date (typically eight days prior to last trade date for open outcry) when the lead month goes off the screen and the deferred month becomes the new lead month. View rollover dates |
| Open Outcry: 3:15 p.m. on Thursday prior to 3rd Friday of the contract month | |
| Settlement Procedure | Daily S&P Settlement Procedure Final S&P Settlement Procedure |
| Daily Price Limit | View price limits details |
| Exchange Rules | These contracts are listed with, and subject to, the rules and regulations of CME. |
| Source: CME | |
Last updated May 2013
Additional Info
Recent Posts on S&P 500
- October 10 – Breakout Trade in the eMini SP (10/10/2018) - The stock index futures had breakout setups for today. For the eMini S&P, the patterns that told us to look for a breakout trade were a doji bar and NR4 (narrowest range of the previous four sessions. These patterns indicated that on Tuesday traders didn’t want to commit to buying higher or selling lower; this… Read more.
- October 8 – Taylor Trading Sell Short Day in eMini SP Futures (10/8/2018) - The eMini S&P futures were on the Sell Short day of the Taylor Trading Technique cycle today. Trending markets are a double edged sword for the TTT – they are the kind of markets we want to participate in however they often show only shallow retracements against the trend, which can make it challenging to… Read more.
- [Premium Recast] How To Break Down Futures Markets Using Volume Analysis Tools (9/27/2018) - Andrew Pawielski highlights the long S&P trades highlighted in the MDA premium room. View the 3 long trades in ES @ 2703, 2708, 2714 with trailed risk stopped out around 2723.