What is CME Futures Tick Value & Point Value?
A futures tick value is the minimum price increment (tick size) a CME futures contract can move multiplied by its contract point value. Micro E-mini contracts (MNQ, MES, MGC, MCL) are sized at exactly 1/10th the tick and point value of standard E-mini contracts.
Mathematical Calculation
For Nasdaq-100 E-mini (NQ), the point multiplier is $20.00 and the minimum tick is 0.25 index points, yielding a tick value of 0.25 × $20 = $5.00 per tick (4 ticks per point).
Real-World Numerical Simulation
Calculating PnL & Fee Drag on a 15.50-Point NQ vs MNQ Move
Price Move: Nasdaq-100 moves 15.50 points = 62 ticks (15.50 ÷ 0.25).
Standard E-Mini (1 NQ): 62 ticks × $5.00/tick (or 15.50 pts × $20/pt) = $310.00.
Micro E-Mini (1 MNQ): 62 ticks × $0.50/tick (or 15.50 pts × $2/pt) = $31.00.
Scaling & Fee Note: 10 MNQ contracts equal the exact notional exposure of 1 NQ ($310.00), but trading 20 MNQ instead of 2 NQ increases round-turn commission drag from ~$8.20 to ~$28.40 per trade.
Automatic Mini-to-Micro Scaling & Strategy Fee Simulator
Trade 1 NQ on your master account while LogToLast automatically scales smaller follower accounts into MNQ micro contracts—and use the Strategy Execution Simulator to model exact broker fee drag.
Institutional Comparison Matrix
| Contract Name | Ticker (Mini / Micro) | Tick Size | Mini Tick / Point Value | Micro Tick / Point Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-mini Nasdaq-100 | NQ / MNQ | 0.25 pts | $5.00 tick / $20.00 pt | $0.50 tick / $2.00 pt |
| E-mini S&P 500 | ES / MES | 0.25 pts | $12.50 tick / $50.00 pt | $1.25 tick / $5.00 pt |
| E-mini Dow ($5) | YM / MYM | 1.00 pt | $5.00 tick / $5.00 pt | $0.50 tick / $0.50 pt |
| E-mini Russell 2000 | RTY / M2K | 0.10 pts | $5.00 tick / $50.00 pt | $0.50 tick / $5.00 pt |
| COMEX Gold Futures | GC / MGC | $0.10 / oz | $10.00 tick / $100.00 pt | $1.00 tick / $10.00 pt |
| NYMEX Crude Oil | CL / MCL | $0.01 / bbl | $10.00 tick / $1,000 pt | $1.00 tick / $100.00 pt |
Monitored Prop Firms Applying This Rule
Frequently Asked Questions
Stop Tracking CME Futures Tick Value & Point Value Manually in Spreadsheets
Trade 1 NQ on your master account while LogToLast automatically scales smaller follower accounts into MNQ micro contracts—and use the Strategy Execution Simulator to model exact broker fee drag. Test our 5-engine trading OS—including 20+ account cloud & MT5 replication, Playbook Active Enforcer, AI Journal, and Native Ctrl+C Backtest Lab—for $0.00 today during your 14-day Elite trial.
✓ No Credit Card Required • ✓ 14-Day Full Elite Access • ✓ 50% Evaluation Pass Reward