E-mini S&P
Encyclopedia
E-Mini S&P, often abbreviated to "E-mini" (despite the existence of many other E-mini contracts
) and designated by the commodity ticker symbol ES, is a stock market index
futures contract
traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
's Globex electronic trading platform
. The notional value of one contract is US$50 times the value of the S&P 500
stock index.
It was introduced by the CME
on September 9th, 1997, after the value of the existing S&P contract (then valued at $500 times the index, or over $500,000 at the time) became too large for many small traders. The E-Mini quickly became the most popular equity index futures contract in the world. The original ("big") S&P contract was subsequently split 2:1, bringing it to $250 times the index. Hedge funds often prefer trading the E-Mini over the big S&P since the latter still uses the open outcry
pit trading method, with its inherent delays, versus the all-electronic Globex system. The current average daily implied volume for the E-mini is over $140 billion, far exceeding the combined traded dollar volume of the underlying 500 stocks.
Following the success of this product, the exchange introduced the E-mini NASDAQ-100 contract, at one fifth of the original NASDAQ-100
index based contract, and many other "mini" products geared primarily towards small speculators, as opposed to large hedgers.
In June 2005 the exchange introduced a yet smaller product based on the S&P, with the underlying asset being 100 shares of the highly-popular SPDR
exchange-traded fund
. However, due to the different regulatory requirements, the performance bond
(or "margin
") required for one such contract is almost as high as that for the five times larger E-Mini contract. The product never became popular, with volumes rarely exceeding 10 contracts a day.
The E-Mini contract trades 23.25 hours a day, five days a week, on the March quarterly expiration cycle.
According to US government investigations the sale of 75,000 E-mini contracts by a single trader was the trigger to cause the 2010 Flash Crash.
E-mini
E-minis are futures contracts traded primarily on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's Globex electronic trading platform and on the New York Board of Trade, that represent a fraction of the value of normal futures contracts...
) and designated by the commodity ticker symbol ES, is a stock market index
Stock market index
A stock market index is a method of measuring a section of the stock market. Many indices are cited by news or financial services firms and are used as benchmarks, to measure the performance of portfolios such as mutual funds....
futures contract
Futures contract
In finance, a futures contract is a standardized contract between two parties to exchange a specified asset of standardized quantity and quality for a price agreed today with delivery occurring at a specified future date, the delivery date. The contracts are traded on a futures exchange...
traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
Chicago Mercantile Exchange
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange is an American financial and commodity derivative exchange based in Chicago. The CME was founded in 1898 as the Chicago Butter and Egg Board. Originally, the exchange was a non-profit organization...
's Globex electronic trading platform
Electronic trading platform
In finance, an Electronic trading platform is a computer system that can be used to place orders for financial products over a network with a financial intermediary. This includes products such as shares, bonds, currencies, commodities and derivatives with a financial intermediary, such as a...
. The notional value of one contract is US$50 times the value of the S&P 500
S&P 500
The S&P 500 is a free-float capitalization-weighted index published since 1957 of the prices of 500 large-cap common stocks actively traded in the United States. The stocks included in the S&P 500 are those of large publicly held companies that trade on either of the two largest American stock...
stock index.
It was introduced by the CME
Chicago Mercantile Exchange
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange is an American financial and commodity derivative exchange based in Chicago. The CME was founded in 1898 as the Chicago Butter and Egg Board. Originally, the exchange was a non-profit organization...
on September 9th, 1997, after the value of the existing S&P contract (then valued at $500 times the index, or over $500,000 at the time) became too large for many small traders. The E-Mini quickly became the most popular equity index futures contract in the world. The original ("big") S&P contract was subsequently split 2:1, bringing it to $250 times the index. Hedge funds often prefer trading the E-Mini over the big S&P since the latter still uses the open outcry
Open outcry
Open outcry is the name of a method of communication between professionals on a stock exchange or futures exchange. It involves shouting and the use of hand signals to transfer information primarily about buy and sell orders...
pit trading method, with its inherent delays, versus the all-electronic Globex system. The current average daily implied volume for the E-mini is over $140 billion, far exceeding the combined traded dollar volume of the underlying 500 stocks.
Following the success of this product, the exchange introduced the E-mini NASDAQ-100 contract, at one fifth of the original NASDAQ-100
NASDAQ-100
The NASDAQ-100 is a stock market index of 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the NASDAQ. It is a modified capitalization-weighted index. The companies' weights in the index are based on their market capitalizations, with certain rules capping the influence of the largest components...
index based contract, and many other "mini" products geared primarily towards small speculators, as opposed to large hedgers.
In June 2005 the exchange introduced a yet smaller product based on the S&P, with the underlying asset being 100 shares of the highly-popular SPDR
Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts
The Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts were launched by Boston asset manager SSgA State Street Global Advisors on January 29, 1993 as the first exchange-traded fund in the United States ; and are part of the SPDRs ETF chain.Designed and developed by American Stock Exchange executives Nathan Most...
exchange-traded fund
Exchange-traded fund
An exchange-traded fund is an investment fund traded on stock exchanges, much like stocks. An ETF holds assets such as stocks, commodities, or bonds, and trades close to its net asset value over the course of the trading day. Most ETFs track an index, such as the S&P 500 or MSCI EAFE...
. However, due to the different regulatory requirements, the performance bond
Performance bond
A performance bond is a surety bond issued by an insurance company or a bank to guarantee satisfactory completion of a project by a contractor.A job requiring a payment & performance bond will usually require a bid bond, to bid the job...
(or "margin
Margin (finance)
In finance, a margin is collateral that the holder of a financial instrument has to deposit to cover some or all of the credit risk of their counterparty...
") required for one such contract is almost as high as that for the five times larger E-Mini contract. The product never became popular, with volumes rarely exceeding 10 contracts a day.
The E-Mini contract trades 23.25 hours a day, five days a week, on the March quarterly expiration cycle.
According to US government investigations the sale of 75,000 E-mini contracts by a single trader was the trigger to cause the 2010 Flash Crash.
See also
- E-miniE-miniE-minis are futures contracts traded primarily on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's Globex electronic trading platform and on the New York Board of Trade, that represent a fraction of the value of normal futures contracts...
- NASDAQ futuresNASDAQ futuresNASDAQ futures are investment instruments which allow an investor to hedge with or speculate on the future value of various components of the NASDAQ market index.-In General:...
- Futures contractFutures contractIn finance, a futures contract is a standardized contract between two parties to exchange a specified asset of standardized quantity and quality for a price agreed today with delivery occurring at a specified future date, the delivery date. The contracts are traded on a futures exchange...
- Derivative (finance)Derivative (finance)A derivative instrument is a contract between two parties that specifies conditions—in particular, dates and the resulting values of the underlying variables—under which payments, or payoffs, are to be made between the parties.Under U.S...
- Algorithmic tradingAlgorithmic tradingIn electronic financial markets, algorithmic trading or automated trading, also known as algo trading, black-box trading or robo trading, is the use of electronic platforms for entering trading orders with an algorithm deciding on aspects of the order such as the timing, price, or quantity of the...