Futures 101

You will see many posts from me re: stock index futures. I trade the e-mini products offered by the CME and CBOT. My posts will refer to "ticks" of profit or loss. Each tick has a monetary value as defined by the product. For example, the Russell e-mini future tracts the Russell index and moves in 1/10 tick increments. It takes 10 ticks for the e-mini future to move one full point. Each tick is worth $10. Below is a list of the contract tickers I use and their tick monetary value:

Dow E-Mini Future: Ticker "YM", $5 per tick value

Russell E-Mini Future: Ticker "ER2", $10 per tick value

Gold Futures: Ticker "ZG", $10 per tick value

If I mention that I captured 5 ticks on the ER2, that translates to "I made $50 on each contract held of the Russell e-mini future".