Futures rollover explained: month codes, roll dates and an expiry-week checklist
A futures contract has an end date. How micro E-mini month codes read, when equity index futures stop trading and roll, why the next month trades at a different price, and an expiry-week checklist so no order is left in a dead contract.
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In this video
- 0:00 Intro
- 0:28 Reading the symbol
- 0:55 Last trading day
- 1:22 Roll week
- 1:45 Why prices differ
- 2:08 Stops and charts
- 2:31 Expiry-week checklist
- 2:58 Free calculator
Key points
- MESZ6 reads as Micro E-mini S&P 500, December (Z), 2026; equity index futures use only H, M, U and Z.
- Equity index micros stop trading at 8:30 a.m. CT on the third Friday of the contract month and cash settle to a Special Opening Quotation.
- CME gives the roll date as the Monday before the third Friday; trade the month with the larger daily volume.
- The gap between months is carry (interest minus dividends), not profit or loss; shift stops and targets by it when you roll.
- Before expiry week ends, cancel or move every order still working in the old month.
Examples use round, illustrative numbers and are not actual trades or results. Education only — not investment, tax or legal advice. Narration uses two AI-generated voices.
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