Risk Warning: CFDs and forex trading involve significant risk of loss. Leveraged products can result in losses exceeding your deposit. This calculator is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
Futures P&L Calculator
Calculate profit or loss on any futures trade using tick-based arithmetic. Enter entry and exit prices, contract specs, and direction to see ticks moved and dollar P&L.
Formula
Futures P&L formula (tick-based)
Ticks Moved
(Exit Price − Entry Price) ÷ Tick Size
Direction
Long = +1 · Short = −1
P&L
Ticks × Tick Value × Contracts × Direction × Rate
A warning is issued when entry or exit price is not on a valid tick boundary. Positive P&L = profit; negative = loss.
Worked Example
Given
Long 1 ES contract · Entry 4,600 · Exit 4,610 · Tick size 0.25 · Tick value $12.50 · USD account
- Ticks Moved
- (4,610 − 4,600) ÷ 0.25 = 40 ticks
- P&L per Contract
- 40 × $12.50 = $500
- Total P&L
- $500 × 1 contract × 1.0 = $500 profit
Frequently Asked Questions
- How is futures P&L calculated?
- Futures P&L = Ticks Moved × Tick Value × Contracts × Account Rate, where Ticks Moved = (Exit − Entry) ÷ Tick Size. For long positions, profit when exit > entry. For short positions, profit when exit < entry. The directional sign is handled automatically — a positive P&L means profit, negative means loss.
- Why are futures priced in ticks rather than pips or points?
- Exchange-traded futures have a fixed minimum price increment (the tick) and a fixed dollar value per tick — set by the exchange, not the broker. This tick-based system makes P&L calculation exact and transparent. Unlike OTC products, there is no broker discretion on spread — ticks are the atomic unit of price movement.
- What tick size and tick value should I enter?
- Use the Futures Tick Value Calculator to look up contract specifications for ES, NQ, CL, and GC. Key values: ES (E-mini S&P 500) — tick size 0.25, tick value $12.50. NQ (E-mini Nasdaq-100) — tick size 0.25, tick value $5.00. CL (WTI Crude) — tick size 0.01, tick value $10.00. GC (Gold) — tick size 0.10, tick value $10.00. For other contracts, check cmegroup.com.
- What does the tick boundary warning mean?
- A warning is issued when your entry or exit price is not exactly on a valid tick boundary (i.e. not a multiple of the tick size). Futures exchanges only allow prices at valid tick increments — if you enter an off-tick price, the calculator estimates P&L but the price would not actually be tradeable. Always verify that your prices align to tick boundaries.