MNQ position size calculator
One MNQ contract moves 0.5 USD per tick of 0.25, which is 2 USD per index point. Futures trade in whole contracts, so this page sizes in contracts rather than in fractions of a lot: give the calculator your account size, the percentage you are willing to lose and the stop distance, and it returns how many contracts put exactly that much at risk, always rounded down.
What makes MNQ different
The micro Nasdaq is an exchange-traded futures contract, not a CFD, so nothing about it is broker-specific: every MNQ contract at every broker is worth $2 per index point and moves in ticks of 0.25, which makes one tick exactly $0.50. That standardisation is the whole appeal — the size you calculate here is the size the exchange fills. The catch is the other direction: there is no fractional contract, so one contract is the floor. With the Nasdaq routinely running 50 points against you, a single MNQ can put $100 at risk before you have done anything wrong, which sets a practical minimum account size rather than a minimum lot.
Contract specification
| Symbol | MNQ |
|---|---|
| Contract size (1 contract) | 2 |
| Quote currency | USD |
| Quoted decimals | 2 |
| Tick size | 0.25 |
| Tick value per contract | 0.5 USD |
| Minimum size | 1 contract (no fractions) |
| Indicative margin per contract | 2,500 USD |
MNQ tick value by number of contracts
Values in USD, the currency MNQ is quoted in. A tick here is 0.25.
| Size | USD per index point | Value of 1 tick |
|---|---|---|
| 1 contract | 2 | 0.5 USD |
| 2 contracts | 4 | 1 USD |
| 5 contracts | 10 | 2.5 USD |
A worked example
- Risk in money: a 10 000 USD account risking 1% puts 100 USD on the line.
- Stop distance in price: 200 ticks × 0.25 = 50.
- Loss per contract: 50 × 2 = 100 USD.
- Contracts: 100 ÷ 100 = 1, rounded down to 1.
The example assumes an account in USD. If yours is in another currency, every figure above gets multiplied by the rate from USD to your currency, which the calculator applies automatically.
Contracts for a 10 000 USD account
What each combination of risk and stop distance works out to. Read it as a sanity check on the number the calculator gives you.
| Risk | 100 ticks | 200 ticks | 400 ticks | 800 ticks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 % | 1 | — | — | — |
| 1 % | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| 2 % | 4 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 3 % | 6 | 3 | 1 | — |
Frequently asked questions
How much is one tick worth on MNQ?
One contract is 2 USD per index point, so a tick of 0.25 is worth 0.5 USD and 4 ticks make a one-point move, worth 2 USD. Two contracts double it and three triple it; there is no fraction of a contract to go below one. If your account is not in USD, multiply by the current rate from USD to your account currency.
How many MNQ contracts should I trade?
Decide the loss first — most traders cap it at 1% to 2% of the account per trade — then divide that amount by the loss per contract at your stop distance. The calculator above does exactly that and rounds down, because a partial contract does not exist. If the answer comes out below one, the trade is too big for the account at that stop: widen the stop budget or fund more, never round up.
Is one MNQ lot the same as one contract?
Yes. Futures have no mini or micro fraction: the minimum size is one contract and every step up is another whole contract, so the lot size the calculator returns is the number of contracts to send to the exchange. That is why the broker settings above start at a minimum lot of 1 and a lot step of 1 for this symbol.
How much margin does one MNQ contract need?
This page starts from 2,500 USD per contract, the order of magnitude of the exchange's initial margin, but it is not a fixed number: the CME revises it as volatility changes, and each broker sets its own day-trading margin, often a fraction of that for positions closed before the session ends. Take the exact figure from your platform and type it under "broker settings" — it changes how much cash the position ties up, not the risk on the trade.
Educational tool. Check the size in your platform before trading; leveraged trading carries a risk of loss.