How the NQ lot size is calculated
Position size = risk in dollars ÷ (stop distance × value per unit). On NQ, one tick is worth $5.00 per contract, so a 12 points stop costs $240.00 per contract. $1,000 ÷ $240.00 = 4 contracts (rounded down to the 1 step).
Spread and commission add a little to the real cost of each trade, so many traders round down further.
The $100K rules in NQ points
Rules are set in dollars, but you watch the NQ chart. This is how far price can move against a 4-contract position before each limit is reached:
- Futures: target $6,000 (75 points), daily loss $2,000 (25 points), max loss $3,000 trailing (37.5 points), all with 4 contracts.
- At 1% risk per trade it takes 2 losing trades in a single day to hit the Futures daily limit.
Maximum NQ position size on $100K
Futures: up to 10 contracts
When NQ moves most
The New York open and big-tech earnings weeks bring the largest moves. Size down around those moments: wider swings mean a wider stop, and a wider stop with the same risk means fewer contracts.