Change log
What changed, and why
Whenever a number, a rule or a statement on this site is corrected or a method changes, it is listed here with the date. The process behind it is described separately.
Automatic data refreshes (COT figures, calculated dates, build time) are not listed. Margins carry their own “as of” date on every contract page.
Euro FX (6E): serial months listed
· Update
Since May 11, 2026 CME lists 16 serial months for Euro FX futures in addition to the quarterly months (previously 3), according to CME notice SER-9719. The contract page now says so; trading remains concentrated in the quarterly months.
Five more guides
· New
New guides: day-trading margin versus overnight margin, how to read futures symbols and month codes, contango and backwardation, open interest versus volume, and futures versus options on futures.
Five new guides
· New
New guides: starting capital for Micro futures, holding a contract past the first notice day, expiration and settlement (cash or physical), a margin ranking of all contracts on this site, and trading hours in ET and German time. Before publication the statements were checked against exchange rulebooks, CFTC rules and published broker rules, and the findings were corrected.
Initial margin: 110 % applies to heightened-risk-profile accounts, not to "speculators"
· Correction
Since the CFTC rule change of 2020, CME no longer distinguishes between speculators and hedgers. The clearing firm classifies each account as "heightened risk profile" (HRP) or not; HRP accounts post the initial margin, typically 110 % of maintenance, and retail speculative accounts are usually classified that way. The wording on the contract pages, the margin guide and the Micro vs. E-mini guide was adjusted. Your broker's own requirement still applies on top.
Editorial section on every contract page
· New
All 64 contract pages now have a section "How traders use …" with the market structure, contract quirks and the things to watch around expiry. Before publication the statements were checked against the exchange specifications and by an external fact-check.
Fact-check corrections in the new contract texts
· Correction
Fixed in the texts before they went live: the tick of the South African rand future 6Z (0.000025 = $12.50), last trading day of 6M (second business day before the third Wednesday), first notice day of orange juice (first business day of the contract month), delivery of rough rice (shipping certificates in Arkansas), delivery location of lumber (Chicago area), listed months of 6M and 6Z (all twelve months) and the crypto maintenance windows.
Bitcoin and Ether: Leveraged Funds no longer drive screener signals
· Update
Leveraged Funds have been net short in almost every week of the past three years in both markets (ETH: 155 of 156 weeks), largely because of basis trades. The value is still shown (marked †), but it no longer produces screener labels, setups or fast-shift flags. Only dealers count, as for Treasury futures.
Crypto trading hours made specific
· Update
Bitcoin and Ether futures (and the Micro contracts): weekly maintenance window Saturday 2:00–4:00 a.m. CT (3:00–5:00 a.m. ET) and a two-minute break Monday to Friday at 4:00 p.m. CT, instead of the earlier "at least two hours" wording.
6M, 6Z and Ether reference rate
· Correction
Mexican peso and South African rand futures are listed in all twelve months, not only the quarterly ones; the calendar now shows this. The Ether reference rate is named consistently as the CME CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate.
COT texts switch automatically to two reports per week
· Update
The CFTC announced on October 27 that it will publish the COT report twice a week by the end of 2026. The site detects the new rhythm from the report dates and then changes the wording by itself.
Stock index roll date
· Correction
The roll date for ES, NQ, YM, RTY and their Micro contracts now follows the CME convention: the Monday before the third Friday (four days before expiry instead of eight).
First position day replaces first notice day as the deadline for longs
· Correction
For long positions the practical deadline is the first position day, one business day before first notice day. The guide "First Notice Day vs. Last Trading Day" and the notes on 15 CME metal and grain contract pages were changed accordingly. The cocoa and cotton examples use calculated ICE dates (CCZ26: Nov 16, CTZ26: Nov 23); a reviewer's date of Nov 23 for cocoa was wrong and was not adopted.
Margin guide
· Correction
Initial margin for speculators is 110 % of maintenance margin at CME. A margin call refills the account to initial margin. Margin changes are usually announced only one business day ahead. The leverage example now uses the S&P 500 close of the margin date.
Tick value guide
· Correction
Formula with direction factor (+1 long, −1 short), tick value = tick size × multiplier, "point" defined per market, quotes in 32nds written the CME way (110-165) with a warning about decimal misreading, and a note that a stop order is not a guaranteed loss limit.
COT guides and screener
· Correction
Dealers are described as the sell side as the CFTC does. For the S&P 500 and all Treasury futures, dealers and leveraged funds were on the same side (net short) in each of the last 156 weeks, with asset managers on the other side, so a new label "Mixed extremes" was added. In the six Treasury futures the leveraged-funds value no longer produces labels (basis trade). The COT Index and Movement Index sources are named.
Crypto futures trade around the clock
· Correction
Bitcoin, Ether and the Micro crypto contracts trade 24/7 at CME since May 29, 2026; the status widget no longer shows them as closed.
Key reports block on every contract page
· New
Each contract page lists the four to six reports that move the market, with publisher, schedule, release time and a link to the official source. The block deliberately contains no dates, so it cannot go stale.
Found something that is wrong? Tell us – corrections are added to this list.