futuresspecs

CBOT · Equity Index · Futures

E-mini Dow ($5) Futures (YM)

The E-mini Dow (YM) is $5 times the Dow Jones Industrial Average, cash-settled and traded nearly 24 hours a day on CME Globex.

Tick size / value
1 pt = $5.00
Point value
$5 / pt
Active contract
YMZ26 Dec 2026
Next roll
Dec 10 in 72 days
Globex right now
Checking…
01

Contract specifications

Exchange
Chicago Board of Trade (CME Group)
Underlying
Dow Jones Industrial Average
Contract unit
$5 × Dow Jones Industrial Average
Minimum tick
1 index point = $5.00 per contract
Point value
$5.00 per index point · 1 tick 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 Dow Jones Industrial Average 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
YM
Rulebook
CBOT Rulebook Chapter 27
Contract sizes compared
SymbolContractPer ptTick valueSize
YME-mini Dow ($5)$5.00$5.00Standard
MYMMicro E-mini Dow$0.50$0.501/10 of YM

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

02

Roll dates, first notice & expiration

ContractRoll dateFirst noticeLast trading dayDays left
YMZ26 Dec 2026 Active Thu, Dec 10, 2026 n/a Fri, Dec 18, 2026 80
YMH27 Mar 2027 Thu, Mar 11, 2027 n/a Fri, Mar 19, 2027 171
YMM27 Jun 2027 Thu, Jun 10, 2027 n/a Thu, Jun 17, 2027 holiday-adjusted 261
YMU27 Sep 2027 Thu, Sep 9, 2027 n/a Fri, Sep 17, 2027 353
YMZ27 Dec 2027 Thu, Dec 9, 2027 n/a Fri, Dec 17, 2027 444
YMH28 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 – YM 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
YMZ26 Dec 2026 Active $15,276$14,473
YMH27 Mar 2027 $15,458$14,495
YMM27 Jun 2027 $15,528$14,596
YMU27 Sep 2027 $15,344$14,629

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

−16,895 net contracts

−7,374 vs. prior week · −19.2% of OI

COT Index 26 wk 0
COT Index 3 yr 23

Movement (6 wk): −5

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

Asset Managers

+14,217 net contracts

+6,283 vs. prior week · +16.1% of OI

COT Index 26 wk 100
COT Index 3 yr 76

Movement (6 wk): +17

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

Leveraged Funds

−4,109 net contracts

−1,672 vs. prior week · −4.7% of OI

COT Index 26 wk 63
COT Index 3 yr 47

Movement (6 wk): −6

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 88,087 (−13,104 w/w)
GroupLongShortNet Δ 1 wkΔ 4 wkIndex 26 wkIndex 3 yrMove 6 wk
Dealers / Intermediaries 39,76556,660−16,895 −7,374−7,400 023−5
Asset Managers 20,0285,811+14,217 +6,283+8,705 10076+17
Leveraged Funds 9,52013,629−4,109 −1,672−2,474 6347−6
Other Reportables 5450+545 +556+540 9091+2
Nonreportables 15,0408,798+6,242 +2,207+629 6487−1
Legacy Report · open interest 88,087 (−13,104 w/w) · WILLCO (26 wk, commercials vs. OI): 25
GroupLongShortNet Δ 1 wkΔ 4 wkIndex 26 wkIndex 3 yrMove 6 wk
Commercials 52,04268,354−16,312 +2,626+4,858 2915+12
Non-Commercials 20,36510,295+10,070 −4,833−5,487 6677−14
Nonreportables (small) 15,0408,798+6,242 +2,207+629 6487−1
Weekly net positions, last 12 reports (Traders in Financial Futures (TFF))
Report dateDealers / IntermediariesAsset ManagersLeveraged FundsOther ReportablesNonreportablesOpen interest
Sep 22, 2026−16,895+14,217−4,109+545+6,24288,087
Sep 15, 2026−9,521+7,934−2,437−11+4,035101,191
Sep 8, 2026−8,645+8,591−4,259+59+4,25489,114
Sep 1, 2026−7,314+5,527−1,731−1+3,51986,927
Aug 25, 2026−9,495+5,512−1,635+5+5,61388,454
Aug 18, 2026−11,036+2,461+2,035+199+6,34190,072
Aug 11, 2026−13,402+8,029−1,207+245+6,33589,844
Aug 4, 2026−11,236+8,603−3,113+218+5,52891,653
Jul 28, 2026−11,551+6,165−1,194+218+6,36283,013
Jul 21, 2026−9,457+4,991−3,451+240+7,67782,002
Jul 14, 2026−8,612+5,613−2,778+245+5,53276,483
Jul 7, 2026−7,800+5,782−1,806+229+3,59579,726
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 124603 (DJIA x $5 - CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE)

06

YM profit & loss calculator

Price change– Ticks– Profit / loss–

Before commissions and exchange fees. Prices round to the nearest tick of 1.

07

FAQ

What is the tick value of YM futures?

One tick is 1 index point, worth $5.00 per contract. A full index point is worth $5.00. On the Micro E-mini Dow (MYM) the same tick is worth $0.50.

When do YM 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 YM have a first notice day?

No. YM is cash-settled against the Special Opening Quotation of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, so there is no delivery and no first notice day.

What are the YM trading hours?

YM 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.