Last updated: September 30, 2026
NQ (Nasdaq 100 E-mini) is on the TestMax free plan with the latest two months of data. Replay real historical bars, practice simulated orders, and review your results with drawing tools, analytics, and a trade journal. Pro adds full available history.
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TestMax uses accurate CME Nasdaq 100 E-mini contract specs for realistic backtesting and P&L calculation.
| Tick Size | 0.25 |
|---|---|
| Multiplier | $20 |
| Tick Value | $5.00 |
NQ moved an average of 519.46 points per session from Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026, about 2,078 ticks or $10,389 per contract. The busiest hour was 08:00–09:00 Chicago time.
| Average daily range | 519.46 points |
|---|---|
| Per contract | 2,078 ticks · $10,389 |
| Largest session | 1,212.5 points on Jul 30, 2026 |
| Busiest hours (Chicago time) | 08:00–09:00, 09:00–10:00, 10:00–11:00 |
| Sessions counted | 58 |
| Weekday | Average range (points) |
|---|---|
| Mon | 456.66 |
| Tue | 577.7 |
| Wed | 495.46 |
| Thu | 634.69 |
| Fri | 432.42 |
Source: TestMax replay data, Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026 (58 full sessions, each starting at 17:00 Chicago time). Computed Oct 2, 2026. Past ranges do not predict future ranges.
NQ is the most popular futures contract among day traders for good reason. Here's why backtesting it on TestMax accelerates your learning.
NQ often moves several hundred points in a session, which creates large intraday opportunities. Backtesting lets you practice managing risk on these large swings with nothing at stake. Replay volatile sessions to build the confidence you need before it counts.
The Nasdaq 100 is dominated by mega-cap tech stocks like Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Meta. Earnings releases, AI news, and sector rotations create predictable momentum patterns. Backtest NQ around earnings dates to develop repeatable setups.
NQ is the preferred instrument for day traders and scalpers because of its wide intraday range and consistent directional moves. Practice catching 20-50 point scalps on 1-minute charts with real historical data at adjustable replay speeds.
NQ is a popular instrument for evaluation challenges. Practice challenge rules on real NQ data with Challenge Mode on Pro -- trailing drawdown, daily loss limits, and profit targets enforced automatically.
Start replaying NQ futures in your browser. No download and no credit card required.
Sign up with your email or Google account. NQ is on the free plan with the latest two months of data. No credit card required.
Open the session configurator and choose NQ (Nasdaq 100 E-mini). TestMax automatically applies the correct tick size (0.25), multiplier ($20), and tick value ($5.00).
Pick a date in your plan's window (the latest two months on Free, full available history on Pro) and your preferred chart timeframe — presets run from 1-minute to daily on every plan, and Pro adds seconds and custom charts such as 3m where the stored data permits. For NQ scalping, try 1m on high-volatility days like FOMC or CPI releases.
Press play to begin the replay. Real historical OHLCV data builds the chart one candle at a time. Place market, limit, stop, or stop-limit orders as price unfolds. Speed up to 50x or slow down to 1x for precision.
After your session, review win rate, profit factor, Sharpe ratio, max drawdown, equity curve, and calendar heatmap. Tag your best setups in the trade journal for future reference.
Create a free account, select NQ in Session Setup, then pick an available date and supported timeframe. Replay the historical candles, place simulated orders, and review your trades and analytics. Free covers the latest two months of NQ data; Pro unlocks full available history.
Yes. NQ (Nasdaq 100 E-mini) is on the TestMax free plan with the latest two months of data. Replay real historical bars, practice simulated orders, and review your results with drawing tools, analytics, and a trade journal. Pro adds full available history.
Yes. Free includes the latest two months of NQ data, with all order types, drawing tools, the trade journal, and analytics. MNQ requires Pro. Pro also unlocks full available NQ history.
NQ currently has 5-second stored data. Every plan gets minute-to-daily presets; Pro adds seconds intervals from 5 seconds upward and compatible custom and calendar timeframes. The picker shows which intervals fit the available data.
Yes. TestMax Pro ($14.99/mo) includes a Challenge Mode that simulates real evaluation rules on NQ data -- with trailing drawdown (EOD or real-time), static drawdown, daily loss limits, profit targets, consistency rules, and trading hour restrictions.
TestMax supports replay speeds from 1x to 50x. At 50x speed, you can replay an entire 6.5-hour NQ trading session in under 8 minutes. This lets you practice dozens of sessions in a single evening and rapidly build pattern recognition.
NQ (E-mini Nasdaq 100) is a futures contract that tracks the Nasdaq 100 index, which includes 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. It is one of the most actively traded futures contracts in the world, favored by day traders for its volatility and liquidity. One NQ contract has a point value of $20, with each tick (0.25 points) worth $5.00, and it trades nearly 23 hours a day (Sunday 5 PM to Friday 4 PM CT).
Each NQ tick is worth $5.00. The minimum tick size is 0.25 index points, and one full index point equals $20.00. For example, if NQ moves from 18,000.00 to 18,010.00, that 10-point move represents a $200 gain or loss per contract. Understanding tick value is essential for position sizing and risk management.
The highest-volume period for NQ is the US cash session from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM CT, with the opening 90 minutes (8:30-10:00 AM CT) offering the tightest spreads and strongest momentum. Many day traders also watch the 30 minutes before the open for pre-market setups. Overnight sessions have wider spreads and lower volume.
The Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100: the same index at one tenth the size, on Pro.
Rehearse evaluation-style rules on NQ data with trailing drawdown, profit targets, and consistency requirements.
NQ is on the free plan. See what Pro ($14.99/mo) adds, including full available history, MNQ, and Challenge Mode.
TestMax also replays the Nasdaq 100 as a CFD, USATECHIDXUSD, often called NAS100 or US100. A CFD follows the index price but is not a futures contract, so the NQ contract values above do not apply to it.
USATECHIDXUSD moved an average of 657.155 points per session from Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026. The busiest hour was 09:00–10:00 New York time.
| Average daily range | 657.155 points |
|---|---|
| Largest session | 1,129.345 points on Jul 30, 2026 |
| Busiest hours (New York time) | 09:00–10:00, 10:00–11:00, 11:00–12:00 |
| Sessions counted | 28 |
| Weekday | Average range (points) |
|---|---|
| Mon | 597.673 |
| Tue | 755.081 |
| Wed | 622.055 |
| Thu | 783.326 |
| Fri | 534.047 |
Source: TestMax replay data, Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026 (28 full sessions, each starting at 17:00 New York time). Computed Oct 2, 2026. Past ranges do not predict future ranges.
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