NQ futures trading hours
When E-mini and Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures trade on CME Globex, with limits and expiry dates.
- Globex session
- Sun 6:00 p.m. to Fri 5:00 p.m. ET
- Daily break
- 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET
- Contract size
- NQ $20, MNQ $2 × the index
- Next expiry
- Fri, Dec 18, 2026
Checked on · CME Rulebook, Chapter 359 · By helloweekends Editors
NQ futures trading hours on CME Globex run from Sunday 6:00 p.m. to Friday 5:00 p.m. ET, with a one-hour break each weekday from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. The Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 (MNQ) trades the same hours. An expiring contract stops trading at the 9:30 a.m. ET Nasdaq open on the third Friday of March, June, September and December.
NQ and MNQ session times in ET, CT, PT and UTC
The E-mini Nasdaq-100 (NQ) is a futures contract on the Nasdaq-100, an index of 100 large companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. CME Group sets its hours in US Central Time (CT): Sunday to Friday, 5:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT, with a halt from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT. A new trading day starts in the evening, so the session that opens on Monday at 6:00 p.m. ET counts as Tuesday.
| Session | ET | CT | PT | UTC (US daylight time) | UTC (US standard time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly open, Sunday | 6:00 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 22:00 | 23:00 |
| Daily break, Monday to Thursday | 5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. | 21:00–22:00 | 22:00–23:00 |
| Nasdaq stock market open | 9:30 a.m. | 8:30 a.m. | 6:30 a.m. | 13:30 | 14:30 |
| Nasdaq stock market close | 4:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. | 20:00 | 21:00 |
| Weekly close, Friday | 5:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 21:00 | 22:00 |
NQ trades for one more hour after the 4:00 p.m. ET stock close. From Friday 5:00 p.m. to Sunday 6:00 p.m. ET, 49 hours, it does not trade. US clocks go back on Sunday, November 1, 2026, so from that week the open and the break come one hour later in UTC. Hours for every CME product group are on our futures market hours page.
NQ vs MNQ: the contract facts
The Micro E-mini is one tenth of the E-mini. Both settle in cash: no shares change hands. MNQ cannot trade while the main NQ contract month is halted, so the two stop and restart together.
| Fact | E-mini Nasdaq-100 (NQ) | Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 (MNQ) |
|---|---|---|
| Contract value | $20 × Nasdaq-100 Index | $2 × Nasdaq-100 Index |
| Minimum tick | 0.25 index points = $5.00 | 0.25 index points = $0.50 |
| Globex hours (ET) | Sun–Fri 6:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., break 5:00–6:00 p.m. | Same as NQ |
| Expiry months | March, June, September, December | March, June, September, December |
| Last trading | Nasdaq open, 9:30 a.m. ET, on the third Friday of the expiry month | Same as NQ |
| Final settlement | Cash, at a special opening quotation built from each stock's Nasdaq Official Opening Price | Same as NQ |
| CME rulebook | Chapter 359 | Chapter 361 |
A tick is the smallest price step. One point on NQ is worth $20 and on MNQ $2, so a 100-point move is $2,000 on one NQ contract and $200 on one MNQ.
NQ and ES side by side
NQ and the E-mini S&P 500 (ES) share the same Globex hours, the same quarterly expiry days and the same holiday schedule. The money per point is what differs.
| Contract | Value of one index point | Minimum tick |
|---|---|---|
| NQ | $20 | 0.25 points = $5.00 |
| MNQ | $2 | 0.25 points = $0.50 |
| ES | $50 | 0.25 points = $12.50 |
| MES | $5 | 0.25 points = $1.25 |
Price limits, expiry and prop firm cut-offs for the S&P 500 contracts are on our page on ES futures trading hours.
Price limits change during the day
CME caps how far NQ can move in some periods of the day. Each day's limits come from a reference price, the average traded price of NQ between 3:59:30 and 4:00 p.m. ET on the previous business day, and from percentages of the Nasdaq-100 close. The trading halts during the stock session follow market-wide declines in the S&P 500, not in the Nasdaq-100.
| Time (ET) | What applies |
|---|---|
| 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. | No trading more than 7% above or below the reference price |
| 9:30 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. | Downside limits of 7%, 13% and 20%. If the main contract month sits at the 7% or 13% limit, CME watches for 2 minutes; if it is still there, trading halts for 2 minutes and resumes with the next limit. When the stock market halts on a 7% or 13% fall in the S&P 500, NQ halts too and resumes 10 minutes later. On a 20% fall in the S&P 500, NQ stops for the rest of the session |
| 3:25 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. | Only the 20% downside limit |
| 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. | 7% above or below the new reference price, but not below the day's 20% limit |
The overnight session and the last hour also carry dynamic price fluctuation limits under CME Rule 589. These short pauses are not shown here.
Expiry dates and the roll
Each NQ and MNQ contract expires on the third Friday of its month. Trading in the expiring contract ends at the scheduled start of trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, 9:30 a.m. ET, that morning. It then settles in cash at a special opening quotation of the Nasdaq-100, built from the official opening price of each stock in the index. Traders who want to keep a position move it to the next quarter before then, which is called the roll.
| Contract month | Last trading day |
|---|---|
| December 2026 | Friday, December 18, 2026 |
| March 2027 | Friday, March 19, 2027 |
| June 2027 | Friday, June 18, 2027 |
| September 2027 | Friday, September 17, 2027 |
NQ on the next holidays
NQ follows CME's holiday schedule for equity index futures, the same as ES.
| Date | Holiday | NQ and MNQ |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 26, 2026 | Thanksgiving | Halt 1:00 p.m., reopens 6:00 p.m. |
| Fri, Nov 27, 2026 | Day after Thanksgiving | Early close 1:15 p.m. |
| Fri, Dec 25, 2026 | Christmas | Closed |
| Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | New Year's Day | Closed |
Christmas EveCME's Christmas settlement notice sets early settlement for equity index futures at 12:00 p.m. CT (1:00 p.m. ET) on Thursday, December 24, 2026. A settlement time is not the same as a trading close. Check CME before you trade that day.
The full list is in the CME holiday calendar 2026 and the CME holiday calendar 2027.
What NQ hours mean in a prop firm account
NQ and MNQ are traded in most futures prop firm evaluations, the paid tests on simulated accounts that firms sell. Every firm sets a flat-by time, by which all positions must be closed. It comes before NQ's 5:00 p.m. ET close.
| Firm | Flat-by time | Before the NQ close |
|---|---|---|
| Topstep | 4:10 p.m. | 50 minutes |
| FundedNext Futures | 4:10 p.m. | 50 minutes |
| MyFundedFutures | 4:10 p.m. | 50 minutes |
| Lucid Trading | 4:45 p.m. | 15 minutes |
| Tradeify | 4:45 p.m. | 15 minutes |
| Earn2Trade | 4:50 p.m. | 10 minutes |
| Take Profit Trader | 4:55 p.m. | 5 minutes |
| Apex Trader Funding | 4:59 p.m. | 1 minute |
| Bulenox | 4:59 p.m. | 1 minute |
NQ's point value matters for a firm's loss limits. On a $2,000 drawdown, a 100-point move against one NQ contract uses the whole allowance; on MNQ the same move costs $200. Drawdown types are explained in our guide to trailing drawdown, and which firms let you hold past the close in our guide to prop firm weekend holding.
Exchange hoursThese are CME Group's exchange hours and rules. A prop firm's own cut-off can be earlier. A prop firm evaluation is a paid service with simulated trading. Most people who buy one do not pass it, and firms change their rules, pause payouts and close. Not investment advice.
Questions
What time do NQ futures open on Sunday?
At 6:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. CT). That is 22:00 UTC while US daylight time lasts and 23:00 UTC in US standard time, from November 1, 2026.
Are MNQ trading hours the same as NQ?
Yes. The Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 trades the same Globex hours, expires on the same days and halts when NQ halts. It is one tenth of the size: $2 times the index instead of $20.
When does the December 2026 NQ contract expire?
Trading in the December 2026 contract ends at 9:30 a.m. ET on Friday, December 18, 2026, the third Friday of the month. It settles in cash at a special opening quotation of the Nasdaq-100.
How much is one point on NQ worth?
$20 on NQ and $2 on MNQ. The smallest price step is 0.25 points, which is $5.00 on NQ and $0.50 on MNQ.
Do NQ futures trade after the stock market closes?
Yes, until 5:00 p.m. ET, an hour after the 4:00 p.m. ET stock close. In that hour CME limits moves to 7% around the price set at the stock close. Most prop firms make you close positions before then.
Sources
- CME Rulebook, Chapter 359: E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures
- CME submission to the CFTC with Rulebook Chapter 361: Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures
- CME Group: Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures
- CME Group: Micro E-mini equity index futures FAQ
- CME Group: E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures
- CME Group: S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures (trading hours)
- CME Group: Holiday and Trading Hours
- CME Group: Christmas holiday settlement times 2026
CME pages checked on ; holiday hours and firm flat-by times on September 26, 2026, from the firm pages linked above.