TradeStation Securities, Inc today announced the availability of CME Group Spot-Quoted futures (SQFs), a new suite of smaller-sized futures contracts designed to provide advanced derivative traders with access to major U.S. equity indices and cryptocurrency markets.
TradeStation is offering these contracts to retail traders, extending its mission to deliver the ultimate trading experience for those who are born to trade.
Available now on the TradeStation platform, SQFs are priced at or near the underlying cash market value, giving traders a pricing convention they are already familiar with across stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies. The structure separates the spot index quote from the futures basis – so the price customers see and trade is designed to align with the spot index — maintaining the regulatory and clearing benefits of a CME Group-cleared futures contract.
The initial offering includes eight SQF contracts across equity indices and digital assets spanning:
- Equity indices: S&P 500 (QSPX), Nasdaq-100 (QNDX), Russell 2000 (QRTY) and Dow Jones (QDOW)
- Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin (QBTC), Ether (QETH), XRP (QXRP) and Solana (QSOL).
With notional amounts ranging from $500 to $6,000 and pricing of $0.25 to $0.50 per contract, SQFs provide a competitive entry point for traders looking to access smaller-sized futures contracts. The contracts are at least five times smaller than existing Micro futures, potentially allowing traders to size positions more precisely while lowering the capital required to access futures markets.
“Many active traders already follow markets like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100, but traditional on-screen pricing and contract sizes can create a barrier to entry,” said John Bartleman, President and Chief Executive Officer of TradeStation Group. “SQFs provide pricing that’s familiar while giving traders access to the benefits of CME-cleared futures contracts, making it easier to explore futures markets with greater flexibility.”