MICRO VS. STANDARD E-MINI FUTURES
Micro contracts are 1/10 the size of E-minis. Same product, same hours, same liquidity for retail size — and a far better tool for learning, sizing precisely, and managing portfolio-level risk.
Standard E-mini contracts (ES, NQ, YM, RTY) are the institutional-grade product: high tick value, deep order book, but high notional. One ES tick is $12.50 and a single contract is over $300,000 of notional exposure — way too much for a $25k account.
Micros (MES, MNQ, MYM, M2K) are the same exact products at 1/10 the size. A tick is $1.25 instead of $12.50, notional is ~$30k instead of $300k. They trade the same hours, share the same chart, and have plenty of liquidity for any retail-sized account.
The argument against micros is commission as a percent of P&L: you'll pay roughly the same commission per contract, so the relative cost is 10× higher. For active scalping that math matters; for swing trades and positions held minutes-to-hours, it's a rounding error compared to slippage and tax.
Side by side
| Aspect | micro-futures | emini-futures |
|---|---|---|
| Notional (ES vs MES) | ~$30k (MES) | ~$300k (ES) |
| Tick value | $1.25 | $12.50 |
| Recommended account | $5k+ | $25k+ |
| Liquidity | Excellent for retail size | Excellent for any size |
| Best use | Learning, sizing precisely | Scaling once profitable |
Bottom line
Start every new strategy on micros. Once you have a proven 3+ month track record, scale into the standard contract for cost efficiency. Trading the standard contract before you can do it on micros is the single most expensive mistake retail futures traders make.