S&P 500 Futures
Note: With the futures markets, spread trading and CFD trading, the S&P 500 index is often referred to as the 'SPX' and 'USA 500'.
Indicative S&P 500 prices:
Click on the tabs for key stock market indices, forex and equities markets.
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Above, indicative prices from Financial Spreads: 2,500+ live prices available to Spread Trading and CFD clients.
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A stock market price comparison table covering the 'spread size' and minimum stakes for the most popular stock market indices including the S&P 500.
| FTSE 100 (UK 100) Daily - Spread Size |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| FTSE 100 (UK 100) Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| FTSE 100 (UK 100) Future - Spread Size |
4 |
4-8 |
6 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
| FTSE 100 (UK 100) Future - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| Dow Jones (Wall St) Daily - Spread Size |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2-4 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| Dow Jones (Wall St) Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| DAX 30 Daily - Spread Size |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| DAX 30 Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£2 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
| S&P 500 Daily - Spread Size |
3 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
8 |
| S&P 500 Daily - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1^ |
| NASDAQ 100 Future - Spread Size |
3 |
4-10 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
| NASDAQ 100 Future - Min Stake |
£1 |
£0.50 |
£4 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
£1 |
Comparison Notes.
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this comparison is not meant to be inclusive, stock market futures may be available with other brokers.
Where to Trade S&P 500 Futures |
You can trade the S&P 500 futures market, without paying any brokers' fees or commissions, with these companies:
Financial Spreads » "With FinancialSpreads.com you get all the advantages of
Spread Trading as well as commission free CFD Trading on 2,500+ markets, 24 hour trading, professional level charts and..." read
Financial Spreads review.
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Where to Trade S&P 500 Futures for Free? |
Trading involves an element of risk, but if you would like to open a free Demo Account, which lets you try trading the stock market, please see below for further details.
When you analyse which investment options are best for you, don't forget that in the UK, trading the futures markets through a spread trading account is tax free*, i.e. it is exempt from stamp duty, income tax and capital gains tax.
If you're looking for a low cost spread trading platform that offers stock market futures, note that the following brokers do not charge brokers' fees or commissions:
If you want to try trading the futures markets, including the S&P 500, Dow Jones, FTSE 100 and DAX 30, then you could try a 'Demo Account'.
The following firms offer free Demo Accounts which let investors practice trading stock market futures.
Where to Find Live S&P 500 Futures Prices and Charts |
We show a fairly accurate spot price for the S&P 500 further up this page, please see S&P 500 Daily price.
The live S&P 500 futures chart below will also give you a useful overview of the index.
The above CFD chart is provided by Plus 500 and typically tracks the underlying S&P 500 futures market (not the spot price).
If you want live spread trading charts and prices for the S&P 500, you will probably need a financial spread betting account.
Spreads accounts can be useful because they let you access both futures and daily markets. Although, as with CFDs, a spreads account is subject to suitability, credit and status checks.
Should your new account be approved, you can log on to study the real-time trading charts/prices. Usually, these will be provided as part of the service.
Of course, if you want to trade then you should be aware that CFD trading and spread trading carry a significant level of risk to your funds and you can incur losses that exceed your initial deposit.
Professional Level Charts for Trading S&P 500 Futures |
Charting packages normally differ across the industry. However, in order to aid your technical analysis, the charts often have useful options like:
- A number of different time periods e.g. 2 minute, 10 minute, 1 hour, 4 hour, 1 day and so on
- Tools for drawing features e.g. Trendlines, Fibonacci Time Zones, Fans and Arcs
- Technical indicators e.g. Moving Average, MACD, Parabolic SAR and so on
The charts on the InterTrader platform also come with advanced features:
- Back Testing and Analysis tools
- Custom alerts for when a market hits a pre-determined price
Example Financial Spreads stock index chart
The brokers listed below give clients access to real-time futures charts:
How to Trade S&P 500 Futures |
As with a lot of futures markets, using a spread trading account, you can speculate on the S&P 500, to move up or down.
If we go to Financial Spreads, we can see they are pricing the S&P 500 March Futures market at 1427.2 - 1428.0. This means that you can speculate on the S&P 500:
 Settling higher than 1428.0, or
 Settling lower than 1427.2
On the settlement date for this 'March' market, 15-Mar-13.
Note that with spread trading, if you speculate on the S&P 500 index you trade in £x per 0.1 points. As a result, should you decide to risk £3 per 0.1 points and the S&P 500 moves 2.2 points then that would make a difference to your profit/loss of £66. £3 per 0.1 points x 2.2 points = £66.
For short term trading on the S&P 500 also see S&P 500 Rolling Daily Spread Trading.
S&P 500 Futures Trading Example |
So, if we take the above spread of 1427.2 - 1428.0 and make the assumptions that:
- You've analysed the American stock market, and
- Your analysis suggests the S&P 500 index will close above 1428.0 by 15-Mar-13
Then you might decide to go long of the US market at 1428.0 with a stake of, for the sake of argument, £3 per 0.1 points.
With this contract, you gain £3 for every 0.1 points that the S&P 500 index pushes higher than 1428.0. However, such a contract also means that you will lose £3 for every 0.1 points that the S&P 500 falls below 1428.0.
In other words, with spread trading, when buy a contract, your P&L is calculated by taking the difference between the price the market expires and the price you bought the market at. You then multiply that difference in price by your stake.
So if, on the closing date, the S&P 500 index expired at 1432.6, then you would make a profit:
P&L = (Expiry Price - Opening Price) x stake
P&L = (1432.6 - 1428.0) x £3 per 0.1 points stake
P&L = 4.6 x £3 per 0.1 points stake
P&L = £138 profit
Having said that, trading American stock market futures doesn't always go to plan. In the above example, you wanted the US index to rise. Of course, the index could drop.
If the S&P 500 fell and closed lower at 1424.0, then you would end up making a loss on this contract.
P&L = (Expiry Price - Opening Price) x stake
P&L = (1424.0 - 1428.0) x £3 per 0.1 points stake
P&L = -4.0 x £3 per 0.1 points stake
P&L = -£120 loss
Note - S&P 500 March Futures taken as of 27-Sep-12.
Financial Spreads » "With FinancialSpreads.com you get all the advantages of
Spread Trading as well as commission free CFD Trading on 2,500+ markets, 24 hour trading, professional level charts and..." read
Financial Spreads review.
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Risk Warning: CFD trading and spread trading carry a high level of risk to your capital and you may lose more than your initial investment. CFD trading and spread trading may not be suitable for all investors. Only speculate with money that you can afford to lose. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent financial advice where necessary.
'S&P 500 Futures' by DB, updated 08-May-13
For related pages also see:
Stock Market Futures, updated 08-May-13
Stock market futures trading guide with live stock market futures prices and charts. Plus, where to trade stock market futures, how to trade the stock market, tax free* futures trading and...read article: Stock Market Futures.
FTSE Futures, updated 08-May-13
FTSE futures trading guide with live FTSE 100 futures prices and charts. Plus, where to trade FTSE 100 futures, how to trade the FTSE, tax free* futures trading and ...read article: FTSE Futures.
Dow Futures, updated 08-May-13
Dow futures trading guide with live Dow Jones futures prices and charts. Plus, where to trade Dow Jones futures, how to trade the Dow, tax free* futures trading and...read article: Dow Futures.
S&P 500 Futures, updated 08-May-13
S&P 500 futures trading guide with live S&P futures prices and charts. Plus, where to trade S&P futures, how to trade the S&P 500, tax free* futures trading and...read article: S&P 500 Futures.
DAX Futures, updated 08-May-13
DAX futures trading guide with live DAX 30 futures prices and charts. Plus, where to trade DAX 30 futures, how to trade the DAX, tax free* futures trading and ...read article: DAX Futures.
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