[ryounkin]

I have made a couple of observations lurking around this forum.
-Most trade e-minis not stocks
-Most trade one e-mini and not the others.

What are the pros and cons of trading the YM vs ES vs ER2?
-Is one more profitable?
-Is one easier (more predictable) to trade?
- Or is it just personal preference?

Buck

[TinGull]

Hi Ryounkin! Welcome to TL!

For eMinis, yes most of us here trade them and not stocks, but we love traders of all kinds For differences...I've only traded ER and YM, and those two are the exact opposite of the spectrum from eachother. ER is very fast and very volatile and if played properly, the most profitable on a per tick basis (10 dollars per tick instead of 5 for YM). The YM really suits my personality as it's a laid back easy going contract to trade.

The NQ and ES I can't help with, unfortunately. I do know there are people here who have traded these two, so hopefully they can shed some light.

Hope that helps!

Chris

[Soultrader]

Personal preference I would say. I like the YM because of its movement and I find it easier to time entries. I like the spread of $5 a tick.

The ER2 is wild and tends to trends fairly well. More bang for the buck.

The ES is a little too jumpy for me. Also the top traders in the world trade this contract so the competition level is high. Also the spread is $12.50 a tick.

NQ's... now I have no idea.

You should pick a market that fits your trading style and personality. Although you may have a great methodology, you may be stuck in the wrong market. Play around... you'll find something that suits you.

[MrPaul]

Originally Posted by ryounkin »

I have made a couple of observations lurking around this forum.
-Most trade e-minis not stocks
-Most trade one e-mini and not the others.

What are the pros and cons of trading the YM vs ES vs ER2?
-Is one more profitable?
-Is one easier (more predictable) to trade?
- Or is it just personal preference?

Buck

Hey ryounkin,

I would also say that it all comes down to preference.

the YM is a great income producing contract

the ER2 is good for big profits, but you gotta use really good M Management

The NQ is kinda, eh just not my style

the ES is a sideways market most of the time i think, allot of big hitters in that market.

I tend to watch them all during the day though, see what kind of ebb and flow the universe of indexes is having for the day.

[Ryan58]

Hello,

I think the best thing you can do is to not limit yourself to one market. When I trade, I keep up a 5 minute chart of all 4 markets, the emini S&P, emini Nasdaq, mini Dow an Emini Russell. I use the same time frame for each chart and the exact same chart setup. I use simple candlestick charting and only use a volume indicator. Since these markets generally move in the same direction, I look for one market to be the leader and watch to see which ones follow. I do this to help determine trend reversals and can generally find two or three of these trades per day.

[Soultrader]

Originally Posted by Ryan58 »

Hello,

I think the best thing you can do is to not limit yourself to one market. When I trade, I keep up a 5 minute chart of all 4 markets, the emini S&P, emini Nasdaq, mini Dow an Emini Russell. I use the same time frame for each chart and the exact same chart setup. I use simple candlestick charting and only use a volume indicator. Since these markets generally move in the same direction, I look for one market to be the leader and watch to see which ones follow. I do this to help determine trend reversals and can generally find two or three of these trades per day.

I recently started the ER2. I must say I like it very much. Its definitely good to expand once you are comfortable with one market. This way you can squeeze out more opportunities. I traded YM strictly but with the ER2 now, I can simply switch when the YM is dull... which has been the case this month.