CME Futures Trading Hours — Micro Equity-Index and Energy Contracts
The short answer: CME Globex equity-index micro futures (MES, MNQ, MYM, M2K) trade Sunday 5:00 PM through Friday 4:00 PM Central Time, with a one-hour maintenance halt each day from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM CT.
In Eastern Time: Sunday 6:00 PM through Friday 5:00 PM ET. Micro WTI Crude Oil (MCL) uses the same Globex session. This gives micro-futures traders roughly 23 hours of market access each weekday — a structural advantage over U.S. stock markets, which trade about 6.5 hours in RTH.
Globex hours: equity-index micro futures
The four CME equity-index micro contracts — MES (Micro E-mini S&P 500), MNQ (Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100), MYM (Micro E-mini Dow Jones), and M2K (Micro E-mini Russell 2000) — all trade on the same Globex electronic session.
| Contracts | Session open | Session close | Maintenance halt |
|---|---|---|---|
| MES, MNQ, MYM, M2K | Sunday 5:00 PM CT (Sunday 6:00 PM ET) |
Friday 4:00 PM CT (Friday 5:00 PM ET) |
Daily 4:00–5:00 PM CT (5:00–6:00 PM ET) |
The session runs continuously from Sunday evening through Friday afternoon. Each day a one-hour maintenance halt begins at the session’s 4:00 PM CT closing time; the next session opens at 5:00 PM CT. On Friday, the 4:00 PM CT close does not reopen until Sunday 5:00 PM CT — that’s the weekend break.
Trading hours verified via NinjaTrader MYM contract page (“Sunday 6:00 p.m. ET to Friday 5:00 p.m. ET”, verified 2026-06-04) and AMP Futures trading-hours page (CT 5:00 PM – 4:00 PM next day for equity-index futures, verified 2026-06-04).
Globex hours: energy micro futures (MCL)
The Micro WTI Crude Oil contract (MCL) trades on NYMEX/CME Globex and uses the same session as equity-index micro futures:
| Contract | Session open | Session close | Maintenance halt |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCL (Micro WTI Crude Oil) | Sunday 5:00 PM CT (Sunday 6:00 PM ET) |
Friday 4:00 PM CT (Friday 5:00 PM ET) |
Daily 4:00–5:00 PM CT (5:00–6:00 PM ET) |
MCL hours verified via NinjaTrader Micro WTI Crude Oil contract page (“Sunday 6:00 p.m. ET to Friday 5:00 p.m. ET”, verified 2026-06-04). See the MCL tick value guide for the full MCL contract spec.
Full schedule: both time zones side by side
| Day | Event | Central Time (CT) | Eastern Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Week opens | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
| Mon–Thu | Session closes & maintenance begins | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| Mon–Thu | Maintenance ends & next session opens | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
| Friday | Week closes | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
CME publishes CT as the primary reference timezone for Globex; brokers and data platforms may display ET. Both representations are correct — CME is headquartered in Chicago (CT), while most U.S. financial media uses ET.
Note on Daylight Saving Time: The CT/ET offset stays constant at 1 hour, but the absolute UTC offset shifts twice a year when the U.S. moves between standard time (CST = UTC−6, EST = UTC−5) and daylight time (CDT = UTC−5, EDT = UTC−4). CME publishes its schedule in local CT; the translated UTC times change at DST transitions. Confirm UTC times with your broker or data platform around the spring and fall transitions.
Regular Trading Hours (RTH) vs the full Globex session
Not all hours on the Globex session are equal. “Regular Trading Hours” (RTH) is the period when the underlying cash markets are open and liquidity is at its peak. For equity-index futures, RTH corresponds to the U.S. stock market session:
| Session | CT | ET | Characteristic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-market (Globex) | 5:00 PM (prev day) – 8:30 AM | 6:00 PM (prev day) – 9:30 AM | Lower volume; gaps on news, macro data, overnight events |
| Regular Trading Hours (RTH) | 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM | 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM | Highest volume, tightest bid/ask spread, institutional participation |
| Post-market (Globex) | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Declining volume as cash closes; maintenance halt at 4 PM CT |
Micro equity-index futures experience their tightest spreads and deepest order books during RTH, particularly in the first 90 minutes after the 9:30 AM ET cash open and around major data releases (CPI at 8:30 AM ET, FOMC at 2:00 PM ET). Overnight Globex hours (outside RTH) carry meaningful volume on macro events but are thinner otherwise.
How MCL energy hours compare to equity-index RTH
Crude oil futures follow a different liquidity pattern from equity-index contracts. MCL’s highest-volume period is tied to:
- EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report: released every Wednesday at 10:30 AM ET (9:30 AM CT). The largest weekly volatility event for crude oil.
- API Weekly Statistical Bulletin: released Tuesday evenings, typically around 4:30 PM ET. Moves the overnight Globex session.
- OPEC announcements and geopolitical news: can hit at any hour; MCL’s near-24-hour session means the market can react immediately.
Unlike equity-index futures, crude oil does not have a single “cash open” that defines RTH. Oil is a global commodity that trades across Asia, Europe, and U.S. sessions, with notable active periods from the London open (around 3:00–4:00 AM ET) through the U.S. close (4:00 PM ET). The overlap between London and New York (7:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET) typically sees the most MCL volume.
Holiday trading hours
On U.S. public holidays, CME Group typically closes Globex equity-index futures entirely or runs a shortened session. The specific holiday calendar changes each year. Commonly affected days include New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Do not rely on memory for holiday hours. CME’s holiday schedule changes annually and the specific session times (early close, full close, or normal) differ by product group. Check the official CME Group holiday calendar before placing orders around any U.S. market holiday: cmegroup.com → Holiday Calendar.
Equity-index futures and energy futures may have different holiday schedules from each other and from the broader Globex complex. Confirm the specific holiday treatment for each contract you trade directly on the CME Group website.
Why 23-hour access matters for micro-futures traders
The Globex session gives micro-futures traders roughly 23 hours of market access per weekday (24 hours less the 1-hour maintenance halt). Compare this to:
- U.S. stock market RTH: approximately 6.5 hours (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET)
- U.S. stock pre/after-hours: available but with sharply reduced liquidity and wider spreads
For traders in non-U.S. time zones, this is especially significant. A trader in London (UTC+0 in winter as GMT, UTC+1 in summer as BST) sees MES trading from 11:00 PM Sunday through 10:00 PM Friday local time — the same clock times in both seasons, since the UK and U.S. shift to summer time within a few weeks of each other. A trader in Tokyo (UTC+9, no daylight saving) sees the Globex equity-index session open Monday at 7:00 AM JST and run through Saturday 6:00 AM JST during U.S. summer, shifting one hour later (Monday 8:00 AM through Saturday 7:00 AM JST) in U.S. winter.
The near-24-hour session also means that macro events that occur outside U.S. RTH — central bank decisions in Europe or Asia, overnight geopolitical developments, CPI prints in other major economies — move the futures price in real time, with the gap resolved before the U.S. cash market opens. Futures traders see and can react to overnight news; equity traders in standard accounts face the gap at the open.
Practical notes for micro-futures traders
Daily maintenance halt: plan around it
The 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM CT maintenance halt is brief but predictable. Brokers typically do not accept orders during this window, and any open positions are held through the halt. If you are in a position at 3:55 PM CT, be aware the market closes in minutes. Most brokers require that day-trading margin positions be closed before the session end at 4:00 PM CT to avoid overnight margin requirements.
Sunday open vs Monday open: not the same price
When the Globex session opens Sunday at 5:00 PM CT, futures prices can gap significantly from where they closed Friday at 4:00 PM CT. Two days of news, geopolitical developments, and economic data releases in Asia and Europe can all move prices before U.S. traders log in. The Sunday open gap is one of the most predictable sources of weekend risk in equity-index futures.
RTH vs overnight commission exposure
Commissions are charged per trade, not per session. A scalping strategy that trades 50 round-trips outside RTH at NinjaTrader Free ($1.90 all-in) costs $95.00 in commissions alone — regardless of the hour. The lower liquidity in overnight hours means wider spreads that further increase the per-trade cost of execution. Most micro-index strategies are concentrated in RTH for this reason.
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Study micro futures →Frequently asked questions
- What are CME Globex trading hours for micro equity-index futures?
- CME Globex equity-index micro futures (MES, MNQ, MYM, M2K) trade Sunday 5:00 PM through Friday 4:00 PM Central Time (CT), equivalent to Sunday 6:00 PM through Friday 5:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). There is a daily one-hour maintenance halt from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM CT (5:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET) each day.
- What time does the CME futures market open on Sunday?
- The CME Globex session for equity-index futures opens on Sunday at 5:00 PM Central Time (6:00 PM Eastern Time). This marks the start of the weekly trading cycle for micro futures including MES, MNQ, MYM, and M2K.
- What is the CME maintenance halt time?
- The CME Globex daily maintenance halt for equity-index micro futures runs from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM Central Time (5:00 PM to 6:00 PM Eastern Time). During this hour, trading is suspended for system maintenance. On Friday the session closes at 4:00 PM CT and does not reopen until Sunday 5:00 PM CT.
- Do MCL crude oil futures trade the same hours as equity-index futures?
- Yes. Micro WTI Crude Oil (MCL) futures trade on the same CME Globex session as equity-index micro futures: Sunday 5:00 PM through Friday 4:00 PM CT, with the same daily 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM CT maintenance halt.
- What are Regular Trading Hours (RTH) for micro futures?
- Regular Trading Hours (RTH) for U.S. equity-index futures refer to the period when the underlying cash market is open: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time (8:30 AM to 3:00 PM CT). Futures volume and liquidity are highest during this window. The Globex session runs continuously beyond RTH into overnight and early-morning hours.
- How do holiday trading hours work for CME micro futures?
- On U.S. market holidays, CME typically closes Globex equity-index futures entirely or runs a shortened session. The specific dates and hours change annually. Always check the official CME Group holiday calendar before trading around a holiday, as even partial sessions can see sharply reduced liquidity.
Methodology & sources
Trading hours verified via NinjaTrader MYM contract page (stated as “Sunday 6:00 p.m. ET to Friday 5:00 p.m. ET”, verified 2026-06-04), NinjaTrader MCL contract page (same hours, verified 2026-06-04), and AMP Futures trading-hours page (stated as CT 5:00 PM – 4:00 PM next day for equity-index and energy contracts, verified 2026-06-04). CME Group’s Globex contract-specification pages are the authoritative source but timed out on direct fetch (consistent with the prior research session’s findings; JS-dependent pages). Times stated here are consistent with AMP Futures, NinjaTrader, and the hours already published on the live MicroFutures app for MES/MNQ. Holiday calendar: CME Group only; link provided above.
- NinjaTrader — Micro E-mini Dow (MYM) Contract Page — NinjaTrader, verified 2026-06-04 (Sunday 6:00 p.m. ET to Friday 5:00 p.m. ET stated)
- NinjaTrader — Micro WTI Crude Oil (MCL) Contract Page — NinjaTrader, verified 2026-06-04 (same Globex hours confirmed)
- AMP Futures — Trading Hours — AMP Futures, verified 2026-06-04 (CT 5:00 PM – 4:00 PM for equity index and energy)
- CME Group Holiday Calendar — CME Group (authoritative source for holiday hours; updated annually)