what's the difference between these CL contract symbols? CL Z9 CL Z9=1 CL Z9=2 i'm only able to retrieve CL Z9=1. it says it's the "Night" session, but i can plot the day session data just fine.
I think =1 is the Globex, electronic market and =2 is the open outcry market. Globex used to be active only at night, but now I believe it is also open side-by-side with the pit. If you are trading crude oil, another symbol you might look at is QM, the mini crude contract. It has good volume and tight spreads, I believe. Good trading, Aaron Schindler Schindler Trading
As Aaron pointed out, the "=1" represents the Globex symbol. You probably only have an electronic product enablement, which is why you can view the CL Z9=1 quote but not CL Z9. At this point that represents probably 90+% of the volume for that contract, maybe a little more. Given that most of the volume is on Globex at this point, you probably only need the full NYMEX package if you need options quotes. You can add that -- I think it's an additional $60/month.