VERSION HISTORY
Stop Trading the Wrong Contract Month | E8 Markets Help Center Futures
Fetches the article and compares it with Version 2.
▸Version 2October 1, 2026, 5:40 PM+1−1
Changes shown against Version 1.
You might have already noticed that each symbol comes with a number and a letter in its name. The first two letters, "NQ," indicates name of the instrument (E-mini NASDAQ100), while the third letter indicates the contract month, and the number indicates the year.
- The key difference between each symbol is the specific date at which each contract expires and settles.
- The contract closest to expiration has the highest trading volume and liquidity.
- Pricing can differ between contracts.
Which one is the correct Month Contract that I must trade?
To easily identify which contract is the best to trade right now, it is based on the current liquidity (Volume). In the Table below, you can find links to each instrument where you can track the volume of each month's contract.
| EMD / E-mini S&P MidCap 400 | 6A / Australian $ | CL / Crude Oil |
|---|
| NKD / Nikkei | M6B / Micro British Pound | NG / Natural Gas |
−
| EMD / E-mini S&P MidCap 400 | 6A / Australian $ | CL / Crude Oil |
|---|---|---|
| MNQ / Micro E-mini NASDAQ 100 | 6E / Euro FX | RB / RBOB Gasoline |
+
| EMD / E-mini S&P MidCap 400 | 6A / Australian $ | CL / Crude Oil |
|---|---|---|
| MNQ / Micro E-mini NASDAQ 100 | 6E / Euro FX | |
| RTY / E-mini Russell 2000 | E7 / E-mini Euro FX | HO / Heating Oil |
| MBT / Micro E-mini Bitcoin | MCD / Micro CAD/USD | ZW / Wheat |
Make sure you are always trading the Front Month Contract, which is the one with the highest Volume. We are not responsible if you fail account due to trading the wrong contract month. Trading in the incorrect Month Contract may also result in termination of your account or deduction of profit made from trades on the incorrect contract.
In the example below, for the Micro Bitcoin instrument, the Front Month Contract is MBTG6. This might change in the future, once the contract is heading to expiration date and the volume starts to decrease.
SHA-256 7a05f9060655f86399b5d21890ffa4b2a9631b502b6ab804da22738b0b0a083b
▸Version 1July 26, 2026, 12:02 PM
First archived version.
You might have already noticed that each symbol comes with a number and a letter in its name. The first two letters, "NQ," indicates name of the instrument (E-mini NASDAQ100), while the third letter indicates the contract month, and the number indicates the year.
- The key difference between each symbol is the specific date at which each contract expires and settles.
- The contract closest to expiration has the highest trading volume and liquidity.
- Pricing can differ between contracts.
Which one is the correct Month Contract that I must trade?
To easily identify which contract is the best to trade right now, it is based on the current liquidity (Volume). In the Table below, you can find links to each instrument where you can track the volume of each month's contract.
| EMD / E-mini S&P MidCap 400 | 6A / Australian $ | CL / Crude Oil |
|---|
| ES / E-mini S&P 500 | M6A / Micro AUD/USD | MCL / Micro Crude Oil |
| MES / Micro E-mini S&P | 6B / British Pound | QM / E-mini Crude Oil |
| NKD / Nikkei | M6B / Micro British Pound | NG / Natural Gas |
| NQ / E-mini NASDAQ 100 | 6C / Canadian $ | QG / E-mini Natural Gas |
| MNQ / Micro E-mini NASDAQ 100 | 6E / Euro FX | RB / RBOB Gasoline |
| RTY / E-mini Russell 2000 | E7 / E-mini Euro FX | HO / Heating Oil |
| M2K / Micro E-mini Russell 2000 | M6E / Micro Euro | ZC / Corn |
| MBT / Micro E-mini Bitcoin | MCD / Micro CAD/USD | ZW / Wheat |
| MET / Micro E-mini Ether | 6J / Japanese Yen | ZS / Soybeans |
| GC / Gold | 6S / Swiss Franc | ZM / Soybean Meal |
| MGC / Micro Gold | 6M / Mexican Peso | ZL / Soybean Oil |
| SI / Silver | 6N / New Zealand $ | LE / Live Cattle |
| HG / Copper | YM / Mini-DOW | HE / Lean Hogs |
| PL / Platinum | MYM / Micro Mini-DOW | |
| PA / Palladium | | |
Make sure you are always trading the Front Month Contract, which is the one with the highest Volume. We are not responsible if you fail account due to trading the wrong contract month. Trading in the incorrect Month Contract may also result in termination of your account or deduction of profit made from trades on the incorrect contract.
In the example below, for the Micro Bitcoin instrument, the Front Month Contract is MBTG6. This might change in the future, once the contract is heading to expiration date and the volume starts to decrease.
Futures contract month codes table
| Code | Month | Code | Month |
|---|
| H | March | X | November |
| M | June | J | April |
| U | September | K | May |
| Z | December | N | July |
| F | January | Q | August |
| G | February | V | October |
SHA-256 960bbc6a81eb00e171d252230d8b1e6aba0b5305bd3b409fcd7a59bd4d7f0b19