Index futures (E-mini S&P 500)

Index futures are futures on a stock index, like the E-mini S&P 500 on the CME. They trade almost round the clock, so between the US close and open they are the price of the whole US market, they move first on an inflation print, and the weekly file shows how hard hedge funds are betting against them.

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  • S&P 500The S&P 500 is about five hundred of the largest American companies, weighted by market value, and the number money is…
  • Futures contractA futures contract is an exchange-traded agreement to buy or sell at a set price on a set date, settled daily against…
  • Commitments of Traders (COT) reportThe Commitments of Traders report is the CFTC's weekly breakdown of who holds US futures: producers, dealers, hedge…
  • Expected moveThe expected move is the size of move the options market is pricing for an event: add the at-the-money call and put…
  • IV crushIV crush is the drop in an option's price when the uncertainty it was charging for disappears, typically the morning…
  • GICS sectorsGICS sectors are the eleven sectors S&P and MSCI use to classify every company: energy, materials, industrials…

Educational content only. Not investment advice. Leveraged products magnify losses as well as gains.

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