Much attention and trading volume is garnered by the S&P 500 futures and the E-Mini version of that contract. While it is an excellent market to trade, have you ever thought of trading the e-Mini Russell 2000 futures? This article will showcase the e-Mini R2K and give you the opportunity to paper-trade it with real time quotes and charts.
About e-Mini Russell 2000 Futures
Designed to track the Russell 2000 Index, the e-Mini Russell 2000 futures index measures the performance of the 2000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index. This index is representative of the investable U.S. small-capitalization equity market. The Index is value-weighted and includes only common stocks belonging to corporations domiciled in the U.S. and its territories. There are three main purposes of the R2K Index: it acts as a performance standard for active managers, it serves as a proxy for asset allocation purposes, and it becomes a purchasable and replicable vehicle for passive investment strategy. Since its inception, the R2K Index has become the premier measure of small-capitalization stocks and is widely followed by U.S. fund managers. When the Chicago Mercantile Exchange introduced the Russell 2000 futures and options in 1993, it gave investors the opportunity to manage small-cap portfolio risk, as well as to gain exposure to this market segment.
CME E-Mini Russell 2000 Futures Specifications:
- Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Symbol RLM-M
- Contract size is $100 x the Russell 2000 Index
- Minimum tick is 0.10 = $10.00
- Hours: From 8:00 PM US EST all the way until 6:00 PM US EST the following afternoon
- Trading quarterly months include: March, June, September, and December
