A Complete Guide on Where To Trade Futures

You open your trading platform, scan E mini equity futures, crude oil, and agricultural contracts, and ask which exchange or broker will give you the best fills and lowest costs. Learning How To Trade Futures Successfully means picking the right futures exchange, a reliable futures broker, a trading platform that fits your style, and knowing margin, leverage, and order types for day trading, spread trading, or swing trading. This article breaks down exchanges and gives practical guidance to help you achieve goals like improving returns and managing risk.

To help improve returns and manage risk, AquaFutures offers funded accounts for futures trading, providing capital, access to professional-grade platforms, and a clear path to scale your strategies.

5 Best Futures Trading Platforms

1. ProjectX 

ProjectX is an advanced web-based futures trading platform developed to serve both proprietary trading firms and retail traders, offering a modern, powerful environment for futures trading. It is designed with a focus on speed, reliability, and user experience, integrating TradingView’s renowned charting technology to provide traders with sophisticated analytics and real-time market data.

ProjectX combines cutting-edge technology, powerful analytics from TradingView, and rigorous risk management controls in a flexible and user-friendly platform, making it a competitive choice for futures trading by both retail traders and institutional firms.

Key Features of ProjectX

• Advanced Charting with TradingView: ProjectX incorporates TradingView's platform, enabling access to hundreds of customizable charts, indicators, and real-time (50ms delay) unfiltered market data across multiple assets. This allows traders to analyze price movements and market trends with precision visually.
• Robust Risk Management: The platform supports comprehensive risk controls such as auto-liquidation, profit target auto flattening, daily loss limits, lockouts, and trader self-exclusion. These features are designed to protect both brokers and traders against excessive risk and losses, ensuring disciplined trading.
• Depth of Market (DOM) Visualization: Traders can view an unfiltered order book with hundreds of levels of depth updated at millisecond intervals. This allows for precise insight into market liquidity and the ability to place, modify, or drag-and-drop orders directly from the DOM, supporting fast and accurate trade execution.
• Seamless User Experience: ProjectX is browser-based with no downloads required, running natively on desktop and mobile browsers alike. Its clean, intuitive, and customizable interface caters to both beginner and advanced traders, ensuring accessibility and ease of use anywhere, anytime.
• Comprehensive Trading and Administrative Tools: Alongside an advanced front-end trading platform, ProjectX includes a powerful backend admin interface and a REST API, simplifying management of traders, orders, positions, and live accounts. This supports proprietary trading firms in effectively operating their trading business.

2. Interactive Brokers (IBKR)

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) serves as a sophisticated futures trading platform offering global access to diverse futures products and advanced trading tools on more than 30 market centers. It is designed to meet the needs of active traders, hedge funds, and investment professionals with a focus on technology, automation, and low-cost trading.

Interactive Brokers is a comprehensive futures trading platform catering to traders at all levels with extensive market access, technological sophistication, competitive pricing, and educational support backed by a trusted, globally regulated broker.

Key Features of Interactive Brokers

• Extensive Market Access: Traders can access futures contracts globally across commodities, currencies, equity indices, interest rates, metals, and more from over 30 market centers, providing a broad diversification opportunity.
• Advanced Trading Tools: The platform features the flagship Trader Workstation (TWS) and ComboTrader, offering powerful tools such as over 90 order types and intricate algorithmic trading strategies to execute complex futures trades effectively.
• Educational Resources: Interactive Brokers provides free, expert-led futures trading courses through its IBKR Campus to help users understand the futures markets, including trading mechanics, risk management, and fundamental analysis.
• Integrated Multi-Asset Trading: Users can trade futures alongside stocks, options, currencies, bonds, and funds on a single unified platform, facilitating portfolio management and strategy diversification seamlessly.
• Award-Winning Platform Technology: IBKR offers multiple trading platforms (desktop, mobile, and web) with no platform fees, optimized for speed, performance, and real-time data access with advanced charting and market scanning features.

3. E*TRADE 

E*TRADE is a robust trading platform that supports futures trading with advanced tools, competitive pricing, and extensive market access, making it suitable for both new and experienced futures traders.

Futures trading integrates seamlessly within ETRADE's brokerage and IRA accounts, providing convenience without the need to transfer funds between accounts. Morgan Stanley backs the platform and offers substantial research and educational resources, including the CME Group-powered Futures Research Center, to help traders make informed decisions.

Key Features of E*TRADE

• Competitive Commission Structure: Futures trading costs are $1.50 per contract ($2 on futures and options on futures, excluding cryptocurrency futures), offering cost-effective access to futures markets compared to many peers.
• Powerful Trading Platforms: Users can trade futures using the Power ETRADE suite, including the downloadable Power ETRADE Pro desktop platform, web-based Power ETRADE platform, and mobile Power ETRADE app. 
• Wide Range of Futures Contracts: Access to over 60 futures contracts, with standard and micro versions to suit different capital levels. Examples include micro contracts such as Micro E-mini S&P 500 (/MES), Micro Gold (/MGC), and Micro Bitcoin (/MBT).
• Market Access and Trading Flexibility: Market hours extend 24/6 (24 hours a day, 6 days a week), supporting diverse trading strategies like diversification, speculation, and hedging without pattern day trading restrictions or minimum account values to trade multiple times per day. 
• Comprehensive Research and Educational Support: E*TRADE offers a dedicated Futures Research Center featuring streaming real-time quotes, heatmaps, automated technical pattern recognition, and expert insights on various asset sectors, including indexes, energies, metals, and FX. 

4. TradeStation

TradeStation is a futures trading platform designed for traders who demand precision, speed, and advanced capabilities. It caters to sophisticated traders and institutions with professional-grade tools for futures markets. The platform supports a broad range of futures products, including indexes, cryptocurrencies, currencies, interest rates, metals, energies, agriculture, and more.

TradeStation stands out for its institutional-grade tools combined with an intuitive interface and a comprehensive suite of trading resources that empower traders to execute complex futures strategies effectively.

Key features of TradeStation

• Advanced Desktop Platform: TradeStation's flagship desktop software offers extensive customization, advanced charting, high-speed order entry, and robust backtesting capabilities. It also supports EasyLanguage programming for strategy automation and RadarScreen for real-time market scanning.
• Web and Mobile Trading: The Web Trading platform requires no download and offers a simulated trading environment with access to extensive historical data. TradeStation’s mobile apps provide futures market analysis on the go with custom price alerts and intuitive order placement.
• FuturesPlus Platform: Specifically tailored for futures options, FuturesPlus provides deep market access to major U.S. futures exchanges with fast execution and no platform fees. It offers tools for risk management, customized market data, and integration with mobile devices.
• Competitive Margin Rates: TradeStation offers attractive intraday margin rates for energy futures like crude oil and gasoline (as low as 25%) and some equity index futures and Treasury futures with margin rates as low as 10%, facilitating leveraged futures trading.
• Trading APIs and Automation: The platform supports multi-asset execution through APIs, allowing the use of popular coding languages and advanced order types, enabling automated and algorithmic futures trading strategies.

5. NinjaTrader 

NinjaTrader is a leading futures trading platform designed for active futures traders seeking a powerful, flexible, and integrated trading experience across multiple devices. It offers a cloud-based infrastructure that allows seamless trading on PC, Mac, and mobile devices, giving traders control to trade how and where they want with modern and customizable tools.

Additional highlights include no deposit minimum, low intraday margins starting at $50, and competitive commission rates as low as $0.09 per micro contract, making NinjaTrader an economical futures brokerage choice trusted by over 1.9 million users.

Key Features of NinjaTrader

• Integrated Multi-Device Trading: NinjaTrader supports trading on desktop, web, and mobile platforms, enabling traders to monitor markets, place orders, and manage live positions from anywhere with a consistent interface and real-time synchronization.
• Advanced and Customizable Charting: Traders can create and customize futures charts with over 100 technical indicators, multiple chart styles, and timeframes.
• Depth of Market Tools and Order Flow Analysis: NinjaTrader provides a SuperDOM depth of market tool for precise price analysis, quick order placement, and trade management. 
• Simulated Trading and Backtesting: Unlimited free simulated trading is available for practice and strategy testing with professional market data.
• Extensive Platform Customization and Add-Ons: Using a modern C# development framework, traders can develop or integrate thousands of third-party add-ons, indicators, strategies, and automation apps. 

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How to Get Started With Futures Trading

Understanding Futures Contracts

To start futures trading, it's crucial to grasp what a futures contract entails. A futures contract is a standardized commitment to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price on a specified future date. These contracts cover a wide range of assets, including stock indices, commodities like crude oil and gold, and even interest rates. 

Futures trading involves speculation or hedging, but because of inherent leverage, both potential profits and losses are amplified. Hence, comprehending how contracts, leverage, and margin interrelate is essential before entering the market.

Open and Fund a Futures Trading Account

Trading futures requires a specialized futures trading account through a brokerage supporting margin trading. Margin here serves as a type of security deposit rather than a loan, aimed at covering possible losses. Exchanges set initial margin requirements but can be adjusted by brokers based on trading activity and account specifics. Once approved, your account must be funded to enable trading. 

For traders with limited capital or those cautious about risking their funds, futures prop firms like AquaFutures offer funded trading accounts, providing capital for trading while managing the risk for you in exchange for performance-based arrangements.

Start With Beginner-Friendly Futures Contracts

New traders benefit from beginning with micro or mini futures contracts. These smaller-sized contracts allow participation in futures markets with lower capital exposure compared to standard agreements. Such an approach helps manage risk while learning. 

‍Trading platforms, whether desktop or mobile, come equipped with essential tools such as real-time quotes, customizable charts, and ladder trading interfaces. Many brokers also offer paper trading accounts, enabling risk-free practice with live market data to sharpen trading skills before risking real money.

Build Your Knowledge and Trading Strategy

Continuous education is key to successful futures trading. Most brokers provide resources like tutorials, webinars, articles, and up-to-date market analysis. Developing a trading plan involves understanding risk management, monitoring margin usage, and keeping track of contract expirations and rollover dates. 

Start small, evaluate your trades critically, and stay disciplined. A well-constructed trading strategy that includes technical and/or fundamental analysis will improve your ability to make informed decisions, moving beyond guesswork to consistent trading.

AquaFutures not only supports futures traders by providing access to funded accounts but also serves as a bridge for those looking to trade futures without risking their capital, making it an excellent option for anyone starting or advancing in futures trading.

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Unlock up to 50% off Your First Funded Account for Futures Trading

AquaFutures gives traders fast, affordable access to funded futures accounts with instant options, simple rules, and honest payouts. Whether you're looking to skip evaluations or grow through performance-based scaling, our programs are designed to reward consistency without unnecessary restrictions. 

Join thousands of traders who trust AquaFutures for transparent rules, fast support, and real capital. Ready to take the next step in your trading journey? Explore our account options and get funded today. Unlock up to 50% off your first funded account—plus surprise BOGO deals and bonuses updated weekly.

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