Info on trading the emini please

[john67]

Can anyone point me in the direction of info about trading the various emini indexes (indicies??) please? I have done some searching, but am finding more "Buy My System!!!" than infomation on how things work.

For example:
- How much do I need to open an account?
- Some FOREX brokers offer "mini" accounts where you are trading less than full lots. Is there something similar for example trading the mini S&P?
- Regarding the actual indexes, I know the CME offers various eminis. Are there other mini indexes also or are the CME ones the main ones traded.

Thanks for your help.

John

 

[gedward3]

There is some good stuff on this site if you use the search facility. Also have a look on Elite Trader under the Indicies Section. Also check ou the CBOT & CME sites as they contain loads of tutorials and learning materials.

http://www.cbot.com/

http://www.cme.com/

Hope this helps

 

[peto]

Can anyone point me in the direction of info about trading the various emini indexes (indicies??) please? I have done some searching, but am finding more "Buy My System!!!" than infomation on how things work.
John

For example:
- How much do I need to open an account?
Depends on (direct access) broker, Maybe around $5000

- Some FOREX brokers offer "mini" accounts where you are trading less than full lots. Is there something similar for example trading the mini S&P?
You would have to trade spreadbets or cfd's to acheive this. But then you won't be trading the actual market itself directly (direct access), instead you will be trading against the broker, who creates an artificial market of their own. Much lower margins and account opening capital requirement (more like £100), but higher trading costs and slower executions.

- Regarding the actual indexes, I know the CME offers various eminis. Are there other mini indexes also or are the CME ones the main ones traded.
ECBOT http://www.cbot.com/ offers the YM, the $5 mini future on the Dow, and various commodity futures. EurexUS offers the Russell2000 e-mini future, as well as CME. Where you find this type of duplication however the extra liquidity of principal exchange (CME in this case) outweighs the lower trading costs of the other exchanges, IMO. Nymex offers e-mini energy futures.

The term e-mini generaly refers to small-size futures contracts based in the US. If you mean futures contracts in general then look at LIFFE (London) and EUREX DTB (Germany) and Hong Kong and....and... http://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/trading/products.php?pdt=FUT&ib_entity=uk is one broker's list.