Futures Calculator: Profit and Loss of a Trade
Pick a contract and the price move: entry and exit prices with the side, or the ticks or points the price moved in your favour or against you. The calculator gives the gross and net P&L in dollars, and the move in ticks. Tick values come from the CME Group contract specs (see the tick value chart). The default prices are examples, not quotes.
Trade
1 tick = 0.25 = $0.50 · 1.00 move = $2 · MNQ specs
Commission per contract, per side (entry and exit are each charged). Add exchange and clearing fees if your broker lists them separately.
Profit and loss
+40 ticks × $0.50 × 1 contract = $20.00 gross
$20.00 − $0.00 commission = $20.00 net
Notional value at entry (example price, not a quote): $58,000 (29,000.00 × $2 × 1 contract).
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How futures P&L is calculated
P&L = ticks × tick value × contracts − 2 × commission per side × contracts
Ticks are the price move divided by the tick size. For a long, the move is exit minus entry. For a short, it is entry minus exit. The tick value is fixed by the exchange, so the same move is worth the same dollars at any price level.
Example: short 3 ES at 7,500.00, cover at 7,490.00. The move is 10.00 points = 40 ticks in your favour. 40 × $12.50 × 3 = $1,500 gross. With $2.00 commission per side: 2 × $2.00 × 3 = $12, so the net is $1,488.
Ticks, points and micro contracts
A point is a 1.00 move in the price. Its dollar value is the point value: $50 on ES, $20 on NQ, $5 on YM, $1,000 on CL. Micro contracts are a tenth of their E-mini or standard contract, with one exception: Micro Silver (SIL) is a fifth of SI. See micro vs mini futures for the conversion.
Tick value and specs for each contract:
FAQ
How do you calculate profit on a futures contract?
Count the ticks between entry and exit, then multiply by the tick value and by the number of contracts. For a long, the profit is exit minus entry; for a short, entry minus exit. Example: long 2 MNQ from 29,000 to 29,010 is 10 points = 40 ticks; 40 × $0.50 × 2 = $40.
What is the difference between a tick and a point?
A tick is the smallest price step the exchange allows. A point is a 1.00 move in the quoted price. On ES and NQ a tick is 0.25 points, so 4 ticks make a point. On YM a tick is 1 point. On crude oil (CL) a tick is $0.01, so a $1.00 move is 100 ticks.
Is futures commission charged once or twice?
Brokers quote commission per contract per side. A round trip (open and close) pays it twice. This calculator charges 2 × commission × contracts.
Why is my platform's P&L a little different?
Platforms often deduct exchange, clearing and NFA fees on top of the broker commission. Add them to the commission per side to match. Prices off the tick grid are rounded to the nearest tick here, because a fill can only happen on a tick.
How much is a 20-tick move on the euro (6E)?
6E ticks are 0.00005, half a pip, worth $6.25. So 20 ticks = $125 per contract. A 20-pip move (0.0020) is 40 ticks = $250. On the micro M6E, a tick is a full pip worth $1.25.