Futures exchanges establish a minimum amount that the price of a commodity can fluctuate upward or downward. This minimum fluctuation (trade increment) is known as a tick or commodity tick. Hence, a tick is any fluctuation in the price of a security.
Each futures contract has a different size, quantity, valuation etc., so each tick size that can be applied to anyone's futures contract, is dependent on the previous variables. Tick size is important as it determines the possible prices available. For example, each "tick" for the grain market (soybeans, corn and wheat) is 0.25 cents per bushel, on one 5,000-bushel futures contract.
| Futures Product | Contract Size | Tick Size | Tick Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-Mini S&P 500 (CME) | $50 x index | 0.25 | $12.50 |
| E-Mini NASDAQ (CME) | $20 x index | 0.25 | $5.00 |
| Australian Dollar | A$100,000 | 0.0001 | $10.00[2] |
| British Pound | £62,500 | 0.0001 | $6.25 |
| Canadian Dollar (CME) | C$100,000 | 0.0001 | $10.00 |
| Euro FX (CME) | €125,000 | 0.0001 | $12.50 |
| Japanese Yen | ¥12,500,000 | 0.000001 | $12.50 |
| Mexican Peso | MP 500,000 | 0.000025 | $12.50 |
| New Zealand Dollar | NZ$100,000 | 0.0001 | $10.00 |
| Swiss Franc | SF 125,000 | 0.0001 | $12.50 |
| 30 Day Fed Funds | $5,000,000 (annualized) | 0.00005 | $20.835 |
| 2 Year Treasury Note | $200,000 | 1/4 of 1/32 | $15.625 |
| 5 Year Treasury Note | $100,000 | 1/4 of 1/32 | $7.8125 |
| 10 Year Treasury Note | $100,000 | 1/2 of 1/32 | $15.625[3] |
| 30 Year Treasury Bond | $100,000 | 1/32 | $31.25 |
| Gold (CBOT) | 100 oz | $0.10/oz | $10.00 |
| Silver (CBOT) | 5,000 oz | $0.005/oz | $25.00[4] |
| Silver (COMEX miNY) | 1000 oz | $0.0125/oz | $12.50[5] |
| E-mini Crude Oil | 500 Barrels | $0.025 | $12.50[6] |
| E-mini Natural Gas | 2,500 million BTU | $0.005 | $12.50[7] |