Oops! I just long ZB! Sorry. I meant to say the electronic version. I trade Ym and ES too long and I have a bad habit of calling any futures contract I trade the minis. ZB is very liquid though.
Mini volume (YH) yesterday 100 contracts. ZN vol on ACE 320,628 Bond vol in Pit 133,283 ZN volume on ACE 610,000 !!
Nitro, If you are looking for good action in the securities markets with good liquidity, the T-bond and the 10 YR Note is it. And they are traded electronically. Computer dominated almost 4 to 1 computer to pit. There is no need to trade the mini bond or note. The big ones are only $31.25 a tick. Notes on avg will have a 16-20 tick range and bonds 25-30. Stay away from the Eurodollars. It is like watching paint dry. The commissions will kill you.
Here are ZB volumes figures: Final Futures Volume / Open Interest For May 14, 2003 Last Updated: May 15, 2003 10:06 AM CST 30 Year U.S. Treasury Bonds Month a/c/e 308,144 http://www.cbot.com/cbot/quotes/futures_volume_detail/0,1589,12+410+415+8,00.html ZN a/c/e volume 594,007 http://www.cbot.com/cbot/quotes/futures_volume_detail/0,1589,12+410+415+9,00.html
You are correct... ZN - ZB my bread and butter... when someone says they are in a trade and gives the wrong contract information, makes a guy wonder about the validity of the trade. ZN is like trading a mini ZB, but with twice to three times the volume. As the ZN is now the becnhmark it has the majority of the volume. The 5 will often have more volume than the 30 (ZF and ZB respectively) which puts it in the fairly active catagory. Minis are not needed on something that has a margin of ZF - 1215 and ZT - 1013. All bond and note markets above are the electronic version of those traded in the pits. Make 'em pretty, Chris
They can be great spreading vehicles, front month against 1 yr out. For almost nothing in margin. Make 'em pretty, Chris
stocks going up bonds going up gold going up all at the same time. this only means one thing to me, and that is big money is being pumped into the financial system by the fed.