futuresspecs

CME · Equity Index · Futures

E-mini Russell 2000 Futures (RTY)

The E-mini Russell 2000 (RTY) is the benchmark US small-cap future: $50 times the Russell 2000, cash-settled, traded nearly 24 hours a day on CME Globex.

Tick size / value
0.10 pts = $5.00
Point value
$50 / pt
Active contract
RTYZ26 Dec 2026
Next roll
Dec 10 in 72 days
Globex right now
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01

Contract specifications

Exchange
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group)
Underlying
Russell 2000 Index
Contract unit
$50 × Russell 2000 Index
Minimum tick
0.10 index points = $5.00 per contract
Point value
$50.00 per index point · 10 ticks per pt
Price quotation
U.S. dollars and cents per index point
Contract months
Quarterly: March (H), June (M), September (U), December (Z)
Settlement
Financially settled (cash) – no physical delivery
Final settlement
Special Opening Quotation (SOQ) of the Russell 2000 on the third Friday of the contract month
Termination of trading
9:30 a.m. ET on the third Friday of the contract month
Price limits
Downside limits of 7%, 13% and 20% during U.S. regular hours (aligned with NYSE circuit breakers); 7% up/down overnight
Trade at Settlement
Yes (Trade at Settlement)
Globex code
RTY
Rulebook
CME Rulebook Chapter 393
Contract sizes compared
SymbolContractPer ptTick valueSize
RTYE-mini Russell 2000$50.00$5.00Standard
M2KMicro E-mini Russell 2000$5.00$0.501/10 of RTY

Source: CME Group contract specifications · reviewed Sep 30, 2026

02

Roll dates, first notice & expiration

ContractRoll dateFirst noticeLast trading dayDays left
RTYZ26 Dec 2026 Active Thu, Dec 10, 2026 n/a Fri, Dec 18, 2026 80
RTYH27 Mar 2027 Thu, Mar 11, 2027 n/a Fri, Mar 19, 2027 171
RTYM27 Jun 2027 Thu, Jun 10, 2027 n/a Thu, Jun 17, 2027 holiday-adjusted 261
RTYU27 Sep 2027 Thu, Sep 9, 2027 n/a Fri, Sep 17, 2027 353
RTYZ27 Dec 2027 Thu, Dec 9, 2027 n/a Fri, Dec 17, 2027 444
RTYH28 Mar 2028 Thu, Mar 9, 2028 n/a Fri, Mar 17, 2028 535

Roll. The industry roll date is eight calendar days before expiration (the Thursday of the prior week). Volume and open interest shift to the next quarter around this date.

First notice day. None – RTY is cash-settled, so there is no delivery process and no first notice day. Longs can hold into expiration.

Last trading day. Third Friday of the contract month. If the exchange is closed that day, trading ends on the preceding business day.

US exchange holidays ahead: Nov 26 · Dec 25 · Jan 1 · Jan 18 · Feb 15 · Mar 26 · May 31 · Jun 18

Calculated from exchange rules and the US exchange holiday calendar. Confirm with the CME expiration calendar.

03

Trading hours (ET / CT)

SessionEastern (ET)Central (CT)Your time
CME Globex (electronic)Sun–Fri 6:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.Sun–Fri 5:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. –
Daily maintenance breakMon–Thu 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.Mon–Thu 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. –
US cash session (RTH, reference)Mon–Fri 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. –
Daily settlement4:00 p.m.3:00 p.m. –
Last trading day close9:30 a.m. (third Friday)8:30 a.m. (third Friday) –

Holiday hours differ – check the CME holiday calendar before trading around US holidays. ET is New York time, CT is Chicago time (always one hour behind ET).

04

Margins

CME maintenance margin per contract, outright position · as of Sep 30, 2026
ContractLong positionShort position
RTYZ26 Dec 2026 Active $10,927$10,287
RTYH27 Mar 2027 $11,029$10,366
RTYM27 Jun 2027 $10,733$10,516
RTYU27 Sep 2027 $11,000$10,622

Exchange margins are the minimum your clearing firm must collect for positions held overnight. Brokers may require more – and usually offer much lower day-trading margins for positions closed before the session ends. A neutral broker day-margin comparison is coming soon.

05

COT positioning

CFTC Traders in Financial Futures (TFF), futures only · positions as of Tue, Sep 22, 2026 · released Sep 25, 2026

Dealers / Intermediaries

+75,744 net contracts

−4,858 vs. prior week · +18.2% of OI

COT Index 26 wk 71
COT Index 3 yr 91

Movement (6 wk): −6

Banks and dealers on the other side of client flow. Tend to act contrarian – selling strength, buying weakness.

Asset Managers

+33,028 net contracts

+8,755 vs. prior week · +8.0% of OI

COT Index 26 wk 100
COT Index 3 yr 27

Movement (6 wk): +12

Pension funds, insurers, mutual funds. Structurally long; read changes against their own range, not the sign.

Leveraged Funds

−107,982 net contracts

−10,779 vs. prior week · −26.0% of OI

COT Index 26 wk 3
COT Index 3 yr 7

Movement (6 wk): −9

Hedge funds and CTAs. Trend followers – their net position tends to run with price and peaks near turning points.

Net positions, last 3 years contracts, long minus short
Dealers / IntermediariesAsset ManagersLeveraged Funds
COT Index, 3-year window 0 = most net short in 3 years, 100 = most net long · shaded: extreme zones
Dealers / IntermediariesLeveraged Funds
Traders in Financial Futures (TFF) · open interest 415,047 (−81,715 w/w)
GroupLongShortNet Δ 1 wkΔ 4 wkIndex 26 wkIndex 3 yrMove 6 wk
Dealers / Intermediaries 113,94838,204+75,744 −4,858−8,164 7191−6
Asset Managers 151,857118,829+33,028 +8,755+20,697 10027+12
Leveraged Funds 75,471183,453−107,982 −10,779−10,282 37−9
Other Reportables 4,04612,229−8,183 +3,156−979 3249+9
Nonreportables 27,97720,584+7,393 +3,726−1,272 5739−2
Legacy Report · open interest 415,047 (−81,715 w/w) · WILLCO (26 wk, commercials vs. OI): 92
GroupLongShortNet Δ 1 wkΔ 4 wkIndex 26 wkIndex 3 yrMove 6 wk
Commercials 295,049226,659+68,390 −293+25,477 8983+26
Non-Commercials 82,065157,848−75,783 −3,433−24,205 916−28
Nonreportables (small) 27,97720,584+7,393 +3,726−1,272 5739−2
Weekly net positions, last 12 reports (Traders in Financial Futures (TFF))
Report dateDealers / IntermediariesAsset ManagersLeveraged FundsOther ReportablesNonreportablesOpen interest
Sep 22, 2026+75,744+33,028−107,982−8,183+7,393415,047
Sep 15, 2026+80,602+24,273−97,203−11,339+3,667496,762
Sep 8, 2026+89,619+23,564−110,147−8,741+5,705431,147
Sep 1, 2026+96,593+17,498−109,499−8,154+3,562424,663
Aug 25, 2026+83,908+12,331−97,700−7,204+8,665413,000
Aug 18, 2026+86,131+14,354−99,786−8,007+7,308424,956
Aug 11, 2026+90,694+10,130−95,158−13,540+7,874419,222
Aug 4, 2026+79,913+6,198−85,145−11,384+10,418417,259
Jul 28, 2026+74,514+952−74,620−7,694+6,848417,083
Jul 21, 2026+72,106−890−73,468−7,425+9,677411,524
Jul 14, 2026+75,880+7,554−88,112−6,921+11,599405,743
Jul 7, 2026+70,096−366−72,262−7,063+9,595406,632
How to read these numbers
  • Net position = long minus short contracts (spread positions excluded).
  • COT Index = where today's net position sits within its range over the window: 100 × (net − min) / (max − min). It is a stochastic, not a percentile. Readings above 80 or below 20 are commonly treated as positioning extremes (after Stephen Briese and Larry Williams).
  • Movement Index = change of the 3-year COT Index over 6 weeks. Moves of ±40 points mark unusually fast repositioning.
  • WILLCO (Legacy report) = COT Index of commercials' net position as a share of open interest, 26-week window.
  • Positions are as of Tuesday and released Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET. COT data shows positioning, not timing – it is context, not a trading signal. Open-interest-based indicators are left out for stock index futures because quarterly expirations distort open interest.

Source: CFTC Public Reporting Environment · contract market code 239742 (RUSSELL E-MINI - CHICAGO MERCANTILE EXCHANGE)

06

RTY profit & loss calculator

Price change– Ticks– Profit / loss–

Before commissions and exchange fees. Prices round to the nearest tick of 0.10.

07

FAQ

What is the tick value of RTY futures?

One tick is 0.10 index points, worth $5.00 per contract. A full index point is worth $50.00. On the Micro E-mini Russell 2000 (M2K) the same tick is worth $0.50.

When do RTY futures roll?

Traders roll about eight days before expiration – on the Thursday of the week before the third Friday of March, June, September and December. After that date most volume trades in the next quarterly contract.

Does RTY have a first notice day?

No. RTY is cash-settled against the Special Opening Quotation of the Russell 2000, so there is no delivery and no first notice day.

What are the RTY trading hours?

RTY trades on CME Globex Sunday to Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT), with a one-hour maintenance break each day at 5:00 p.m. ET.

What does the COT Index show?

The COT Index places a group's current net position within its own range over a lookback window: 100 = the most net long in that window, 0 = the most net short. It measures positioning extremes, not timing.