Using Continuous Futures Contracts with TradersPost

When trading S&P 500 futures on TradersPost, a common query is about managing tickers without needing frequent updates due to contract expiration. This post will guide you through using fixed futures tickers on TradersPost and understanding continuous futures tickers, ensuring a seamless trading experience¹.

Understanding Futures Contracts

Futures contracts are agreements to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price on a specified future date. These contracts have expiration dates, necessitating regular updates to the tickers used by traders to reflect the current active contract.

Common Tickers for S&P 500 Futures

• ES (E-mini S&P 500 Futures): The standard futures contract for the S&P 500 index.
• MES (Micro E-mini S&P 500 Futures): A smaller contract size compared to ES, making it accessible for traders with smaller accounts.

Fixed vs. Continuous Tickers

Fixed Tickers

Fixed tickers represent a specific futures contract with a set expiration date. For instance:

• ESH24: Represents the E-mini S&P 500 futures contract expiring in March 2024.
• MESH24: Represents the Micro E-mini S&P 500 futures contract expiring in March 2024.

With fixed tickers, traders must manually update their tickers each time a contract expires, which can be cumbersome.

Continuous Tickers

Continuous tickers, such as those ending with 1!, automatically roll over to the next active futures contract as the current one expires. This is particularly useful for long-term analysis and trading strategies that benefit from uninterrupted data.

On TradersPost, do not use continuous tickers for futures contracts; use explicit contract symbols instead:¹

• ES1!: Represents the continuous E-mini S&P 500 futures contract.
• MES1!: Represents the continuous Micro E-mini S&P 500 futures contract.

Using Continuous Tickers on TradersPost

Advantages

1. Convenience: Eliminates the need for manual updates with each contract expiration.
2. Consistency: Provides a seamless price history for analysis and backtesting.
3. Efficiency: Simplifies maintaining trading strategies over multiple contract periods.

How to Use

To trade futures on TradersPost using explicit contract tickers:¹

1. Access Explicit Contracts: Enter the explicit contract ticker (e.g., ESH24 or MESH24) in the TradersPost platform¹.
2. Set Up Alerts and Orders: Configure your trading alerts and orders using explicit contract tickers and update them as contracts roll over¹.

Contract Rollover Management

On TradersPost, you are responsible for ensuring futures contract positions are exited before expiration or rolled over manually. Unlike some platforms, TradersPost does not automatically manage futures contract rollovers based on expiration dates. However, TradersPost switches futures contracts to the next contract two days before the current contract's expiration date¹.

For example, the MNQZ2023 contract, expiring on December 15, 2023, will roll over to MNQH2024 at the beginning of December 13, 2023, instead of waiting until the end of the expiration date.

Practical Example

Continuous Contract

Using an explicit ticker such as ESH24 requires you to update your ticker to ESM24 as the March contract approaches expiration. TradersPost switches futures contracts two days before expiration¹.

Fixed Contract

If you choose to trade a specific contract like ESH24, you will need to manually update your ticker to ESM24 when the March contract expires. This requires vigilance to ensure you are always trading the most current contract.

Supported Brokers and Tickers

TradersPost supports a wide range of futures tickers and works with several brokers:

• Supported Brokers: TradeStation, Tradovate, and tastytrade.
• Supported Tickers: TradersPost supports trading with over 100 tickers through TradeStation. It is recommended to hard code your ticker symbols into your alerts to ensure they match the TradersPost format.

Symbol Format

TradersPost standardizes futures symbols to include a four-digit year, which it converts as necessary when communicating with each broker. For instance, NQZ2021 represents a futures contract expiring in December 2021. Continuous tickers on TradingView, such as NQ1!, automatically update to reflect the current contract.

Conclusion

TradersPost supports fixed tickers for trading S&P 500 futures¹. While fixed tickers require manual updates with each contract expiration, continuous tickers such as ES1! and MES1! should not be used for trading alerts because they are not reliably resolved. For most traders, especially those with long-term strategies, using explicit contract tickers supports a consistent trading process¹.

By understanding how to manage futures contracts and use explicit contract tickers, you can maintain a seamless and efficient trading experience on TradersPost¹.

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References

¹ Futures Trading | Documentation - Getting Started - TradersPost