How the YM lot size is calculated
Position size = risk in dollars ÷ (stop distance × value per unit). On YM, one tick is worth $5.00 per contract, so a 40 points stop costs $200.00 per contract. $500 ÷ $200.00 = 2 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 $50K rules in YM points
Rules are set in dollars, but you watch the YM chart. This is how far price can move against a 2-contract position before each limit is reached:
- Futures: target $3,000 (300 points), daily loss $1,100 (110 points), max loss $2,000 trailing (200 points), all with 2 contracts.
- At 1% risk per trade it takes 2 losing trades in a single day to hit the Futures daily limit.
Maximum YM position size on $50K
Futures: up to 5 contracts
When YM moves most
Most active at the New York open and on US macro data. Size down around those moments: wider swings mean a wider stop, and a wider stop with the same risk means fewer contracts.