FAQ
Trading Conditions
No, but the CQG desktop version provides our clients with the ability to replicate most charts. If you need assistance please email us at [email protected]
At the moment we do not offer Physical delivery.
Language selection is available on the login page of the trading platform.
Please email the Tickmill Client Services team on [email protected] or call us on +44 789 703 6806 where our team will be happy to help.
There are 2 main ways to close a futures position:
- Offsetting the position is the simplest and most common way. If you have bought one lot you simply sell one lot. This will net your position to Zero.
- Roll the position into the next contract month if you don't wish to give up your exposure when the current contract expires.
This can be done in your Client Area. Simply login by clicking here.
All products will be enabled on the trading platform. It is dependant on the amount of funds you have in your trading account to cover the initial margin.
You reduce the working order to the amount you would like to remain working. You then trade the amount you removed from the original order.
If you have a position and would like to continue holding without closing, you can roll the contract into the next expiry month. This is done by opening the spread function in the trading platform and placing an order to sell the expiry. Then you buy the next expiry available of your choice (generally the next exiry month). Once executed you will have closed your position and will have your new expiry month contract.
Tickmill has standard commission rates for Futures traders which you can see by clicking here. We also understand the standard commission rate is not suitable for all traders so please contact us to discuss a tailor made solution on [email protected]
The 'Trading Volume' is the number of contracts that have been bought and sold over a given time. When a futures contract is traded, whether bought or sold, it counts towards the trading volume for that contract. For example a person sells a S&P500 futures contract then that counts as 1 lot.
'Open Interest' is the total number of futures contracts held by market participants at the end of the trading day. It's used as an indicator to determine market sentiment and the strength behind price trends.
A clearing house is a financial institution formed to facilitate the exchange of payments, securities, or derivative transactions. The clearing house stands between two clearing firms. Its purpose is to reduce the risk of a member firm failing to honor its trade settlement obligations.
A futures exchange is a central financial exchange where people can trade standardized futures contracts. They can buy specific quantities of a commodity or financial instrument at a specified price, with delivery set at a specified time in the future.
Level 1 provides access to live 'top of book' prices (Best Bid and Best Ask). Level 2 or 'Market Depth Data' gives you access to the same real-time prices as Level 1 but also real-time market depth The 2nd, 3rd, 4th best bid and ask and so on. No data will be available until you make Market data choices when selecting your CQG platform.
This can be checked within your Client Area. Simply login by clicking here.
The lot size represents the standardized number of a financial instrument as set out by the exchange. When trading Futures, the lot size refers to the total number of contracts contained in one contract. Exchange traded Futures are standardised so they could have 100 shares or 1,000 barrels of Oil in one futures contract. You will find this information on the Contract specifications page.
Speculators tend to make a profit from a security's price change; whereas hedgers attempt to reduce the amount of risk or volatility associated with a security's price change.
In very simple terms the Initial margin is the amount the exchange requires from its members before a contract is opened. It can be considered similar to a non-refundable security deposit. A maintenance margin is the amount the exchange expects you not to fall below to 'maintain' the position. In which case you either deposit further funds to secure the position or it will be closed out due to the lack of funds. This is to protect the client and the broker and ultimately the exchange who guarantee the settlement of every trade.
You're able to find the cost of market data by clicking here.
All exchanges or clearing houses publish specific futures expiration date calendars, which specify the exact expiration dates for each of their futures products. Usually this is done on the third Friday of every contract month (Expiration Month) available.
Due to a number of market factors; margins can change on a frequent basis. To get the latest margin requirements please email us at [email protected] or call us on +44 789 703 6806.
All commissions are available on the Tickmill website by clicking here.
First find the products you would like to trade and then select the relevant exchange. If you need assistance email us at [email protected]
During times where there is high volatility in the market there will be larger margin requirements, while lower volatility will lead to lower margins. Some of the key factors affecting Futures are supply/demand shifts (fundamentals), changes in fiscal policy (spending/taxation), major geopolitical events and natural disasters.
If you have a live Futures account and your order was rejected please contact client services at [email protected] / +44 789 703 6806