Futures Contract Roll Dates Explained

Andrew Henderson from NinjaTrader explains how futures contract expiration works and why traders often roll contracts before they expire. Learn what the front-month contract is, how volume shifts near expiration, and how to roll a contract using NinjaTrader’s roll-forward feature. An overview of expiration, rollover timing, and settlement types. Futures trading involves significant risk and is not suitable for everyone. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 00:08 What Is Futures Contract Expiration? 00:40 Understanding Futures Contract Symbols 00:56 What Is the Front Month Contract? 01:19 Expiration Month Codes Explained 01:29 When Equity Index Futures Expire 01:40 Why Traders Roll Contracts 01:57 Identifying Expiration Inside NinjaTrader 02:13 How to Roll a Futures Contract in NinjaTrader 02:30 Cash-Settled vs Physically Delivered Futures 03:08 Closing thoughts Since 2003, NinjaTrader has been revolutionizing the way retail traders engage with futures. We've empowered our community of nearly 2 million traders with cutting-edge technology, ultra-low commissions, and world-class support. Our modern, cloud-based platform—available on desktop, web, and mobile—gives traders the freedom to seize market opportunities anytime, anywhere. The content provided is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any futures, options, or derivative products. NinjaTrader Group, LLC and its affiliates make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in the content and disclaim all liability. NinjaTrader Group, LLC’s affiliated companies are NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC dba NinjaTrader, Tradovate, and Kraken Derivatives US (“NTC”), NinjaTrader, LLC (“NT”) and NT Technologies, LLC (“NTT”). NTC is registered with the CFTC as a futures commission merchant (NFA ID#0309379). It carries futures trading accounts, processes futures trades, provides customer service and generates reports for its clients. NT is a software development company that owns and supports proprietary technology relating to and including the NinjaTrader and Tradovate trading platforms GET NINJATRADER: https://account.ninjatrader.com/welcome FULL RISK DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: https://ninjatrader.com/risk-disclosure-clearing/ #futurescontracts #futurestrading