The Best Futures to Trade
Best Futures to Trade for Beginners: Start With the S&P
The best futures to trade are the S&P 500 index futures… the E-mini (ES), its micro-sized little brother the MES, and the new baby of the family, the NES nano, which suits swing trading better than scalping. They are the most well-behaved contracts on the board… deep, liquid, and they respect their levels tick for tick.
If you are a beginner deciding what to trade, this is the whole answer. Pick the S&P. Start on the MES micro. Trade one plan, well.
Why the S&P is the most well-behaved contract
Simply put, the ES futures contract delivers exceptional precision in its price movement, which makes it the ideal primary instrument for our trading room.
ES reacts predictably to the big events… CPI releases, FOMC announcements, NFP reports. Its volatility is often “pre-planned,” so the high time frame (HTF) objectives get much easier to map.
The accuracy of ES bounces stays remarkable… price frequently rebounds within a tick or two of a Strong Level. For an example, watch this trade on YouTube that shows the precision.
I have traded plenty of other instruments… crude oil, the Nasdaq, and Bitcoin. None of them match ES for precision and reliability. Trading ES stays consistent, and it is genuinely enjoyable.
“I find ES performs and behaves so much better… it gives us plenty of opportunities. We get two to 12 setups a day.”
– George, live session, March 8, 2025
Why beginners trade the MES micro first
The MES gives you the same well-behaved S&P chart at one-tenth the size. You trade the exact same Battle Plan, with real money on the line, without betting the ranch while you learn. Green Over Greed. Start small, size up when your results earn it.
Note: a few members trade NQ alongside us. With the near 99% correlation between them, it works fine… but ES leads.
Trade the S&P with us
We trade one plan, together, every morning… the same Battle Plan on the same S&P chart.
Since 2018 we have run 1,077 live sessions and counting… George never misses a weekday.
New here? Catch the free Tuesday YouTube live stream, see the receipts in the Hall of Fame, then come join us in the live room.
Together We Trade Better.
From the Trading Library
- Should You Trade Micro Futures? Why MES Comes First
- Trading ES with NQ, Dow & Russell: Are We All On The Same Train?
- Realistic Day Trading Income: 5–10 Points a Day on ES
- Inside a Live Futures Trading Room
- Stay Within the Box: Position Sizing and Your Risk Threshold
- The Six Point Stop Loss for ES Futures
You are invited to join us and trade with confidence.
Best Futures to Trade: Frequently Asked Questions
▶ Listen to this section
What is the best futures contract for beginners?
The MES micro… the micro-sized S&P 500 future. You get the most well-behaved chart on the board at one-tenth the risk of the full ES, so you can trade the real plan while you learn. If that is still more size than you want, the NES nano is one-tenth of a micro again.
What are the best futures to trade for day trading?
The S&P 500 index futures, ES and MES. They are deep, liquid, and they respect their levels… exactly what a level-based day trader needs.
What is MES futures?
MES is the Micro E-mini S&P 500 futures contract, traded on the CME. It tracks the same S&P 500 index as the full-size ES E-mini futures contract, but at one-tenth the size. That smaller footprint is why so many day traders learn the market here first. You get the exact price action of the S&P 500, with a fraction of the dollar risk per point.
George builds his whole approach around the same levels whether you trade one micro or a stack of them. If you are new to the instrument, treat the MES as your training ground before you scale up.
What is the MES futures price right now?
The MES futures price tracks the S&P 500 index almost exactly, because the contract is priced off that index. When the S&P 500 sits near 5,600, the front-month MES contract trades right around 5,600 as well. The number you see quoted is index points, and each point is worth real money on your account.
Prices move nearly 24 hours a day on CME Globex, from Sunday evening through Friday afternoon, with a short daily maintenance break. To see the live MES futures price you need a real-time data feed through your broker or charting platform.
What is the MES futures tick value?
MES moves in ticks of 0.25 index points, and each tick is worth $1.25. That means one full index point equals $5.00 on a single MES contract. So a ten-point move in your favor on one micro is $50.00 before fees.
Compare that to ES E-mini futures, where one point is worth $50.00 and a single tick is $12.50. The MES is exactly one-tenth the size, which is what makes it so useful for controlling risk while you learn the market.
Where can I find an MES futures live chart?
You pull an MES futures live chart inside a charting platform like TradingView, or directly in your futures broker's software. Search the front-month contract symbol and add a real-time CME data subscription so the candles update as price moves.
The chart itself is the same shape as the ES chart, because both contracts track the S&P 500. George maps his levels on that chart the night before and trades from a plan. You can watch that process live inside the daily futures trading room, where the same MES and ES levels get called out in real time.
How is MES different from ES E-mini futures?
The only real difference is size. ES E-mini futures carry a $50.00 multiplier per index point, while MES carries a $5.00 multiplier. Same index, same hours, same chart, same setups. One MES is one-tenth of one ES.
That size gap changes how you manage risk. A stop that would cost $300.00 on one ES contract costs $30.00 on one MES. Trading the micro lets you size your position to the trade instead of forcing the trade to fit an oversized contract. Keeping every trade small enough that no single loss can hurt you is the heart of smart position sizing.
Can you scalp or day trade MES futures?
Yes. MES is built for day trading and short-hold scalps because the low dollar-per-point keeps your risk contained while you practice execution. Many traders take a couple of clean setups a day rather than grinding every wiggle.
George trades the edges of the range off pre-planned levels and scales out using a structured method. You can study how he peels contracts and holds a runner in the 3-Contract System, which works whether you are trading one micro or several.
What about the NES nano?
CME launched the E-nano in August 2026, and it runs one-tenth the size of a micro. It trades off the same Battle Plan levels as ES and MES, and it is probably a better swing contract than a scalping one. See the E-nano futures page.
Is MES a good place for beginners to start?
MES is one of the best places to start because a single micro puts real money on the line without threatening your account. You feel genuine profit and loss, you build discipline, and you keep your mistakes cheap while you learn. If even that feels like too much size, the NES nano is one-tenth of a micro.
The idea that one good micro trade a day can carry you is not a gimmick. It teaches you to wait for quality and take your green. Start small, prove you can follow your rules, then earn the right to trade larger.
