Frequent Q&A for Forex
What are the trading hours for Futures?
Regular Trading Hours (RTH) for CME: the regular trading hours are from 8:30 am to 3:15 pm Central time. The futures market is a 24 hour market, Daily and Historical data will always go from 5 pm central to 4 pm central or according to the exchange. PTS Primo Charts will not show RTH for futures only ETH as it is more consistent with the way the market is currently working.
Extended Trading Hours (ETH) for CME
The new trading day starts at 5 pm Central until 4 pm Central the next following day. It has to recess periods from 3:15 pm to 3:30 pm then it closes from 4 pm to 5 pm Central time.
The scanner does not show a futures list, where can I get them?
You will have to create your own list of symbols on a Portfolio Manager and save it in the folder, also you will have to update the Porfolio Manager whenever the contract expires.
What futures data feed work with PTS Primo Charts?
You can use one of these options:*
1. Datafeed connection to Interactive Brokers (free live data) : you can transfer any data that you are subscribed to on IB
2. Datafeed connection to Barchart.com (paid live data): this datafeed provider will allow you to have other instruments besides forex depending on your subscription.
*Only one data feed can be used but you can have 2 computers without additional cost.
How can I load the new E-mini contract?
Futures Contracts Months https://www.cmegroup.com/month-codes.html
If you are trading S&P Eminis the symbols for 2024:
[ES+contract month+year]
March H: ESH4
June M: ESM4
September U: ESU4
December Z: ESZ4
How does futures trading work?
Futures trading takes place on a central exchange that matches and guarantees transactions. Traders can take either a long position (buy the contract) or a short position (sell the contract), and futures traders can then profit based on the outcome.
What futures can I trade? You can trade futures in a variety of markets like stock indexes, commodities, energies, interest rates, metals, and cryptocurrencies. You can also trade different-sized contracts including Micro contracts, which are ideal for new traders.
What are Micro contracts? These bite-sized contracts are 1/10th the size of standard E-mini contracts, reducing the financial commitment for each trade. New traders often start by trading Micros and then scale up to larger positions as they get more comfortable in the live markets.
When can I trade futures? Futures markets trade nearly 24/6, giving you more flexibility and the freedom to manage positions almost any time of day. Specific trading hours for futures contracts are determined by their respective exchanges.