Copying NQ to MNQ (and ES to MES): mini to micro mapping

The contract maths: micros are one tenth of minis

CME's micro equity index futures are one tenth the size of their E-mini counterparts. The same ratio holds for several other popular micro contracts. Point values per contract:

So copying 1 NQ as 10 MNQ gives the follower the same dollar exposure as the lead. Copying 1 NQ as 1 MNQ gives one tenth of it. Everything in between is just a different multiplier.

How symbol aliases work in CopyFlock

A symbol alias is a per-follower rule that says: when the lead trades this symbol, trade that symbol instead, with this multiplier. You add aliases in the follower's settings, one per market. A follower can have several — NQ→MNQ and ES→MES, for example — and markets without an alias are copied as the same symbol.

It helps to think of sizing in two steps. First, the follower's sizing mode decides how big the follower's position should be relative to the lead. Then the alias swaps the symbol and applies its per-symbol multiplier to turn that into micro contracts. Finally, any caps you set for the follower or the symbol are applied, and the result is rounded to whole contracts.

Setting up NQ→MNQ step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Open the follower's settings

   Choose the follower that should trade micros.

2. 2

   Step 2: Add an alias

   Set the lead symbol to NQ and the follower symbol to MNQ.

3. 3

   Step 3: Choose the multiplier

   ×10 to match the lead's exposure, or lower to reduce it. Work out the dollar risk your account can take per trade and pick accordingly.

4. 4

   Step 4: Add a per-symbol cap

   Set a maximum for MNQ, such as 20 contracts, so a bigger lead trade cannot push the follower too far.

5. 5

   Step 5: Repeat for other markets

   Add ES→MES or any other pair you trade. Markets without an alias are copied as-is.

6. 6

   Step 6: Test with one contract

   Trade 1 NQ on the lead and confirm the follower's MNQ quantity in the copy log.

When to use which multiplier

Same exposure on a cheaper account (×10)

Some traders lead with minis but keep followers on micros because of how their firm counts contracts, or because micros allow finer sizing later. With ×10 the follower's P&L tracks the lead's almost exactly, apart from fills and fees.

Smaller evaluations (×2 to ×5)

A 25K evaluation following a 100K lead usually needs a fraction of the lead's size. ×2.5 would be a quarter of the exposure, but rounding makes uneven multipliers awkward with small trades, so whole numbers such as ×2 or ×3 are easier to reason about.

Risk-reduced copies (×1)

Copying 1 NQ as 1 MNQ is a cautious way to let a new or nearly failed account follow along with a tenth of the risk.

Worked example: a 100K lead with three micro followers

Here is a complete setup for a trader who leads with NQ on a 100K account and runs three smaller followers on MNQ. Each follower uses a contract multiplier of 1 plus an NQ→MNQ alias, so the alias multiplier alone decides how much exposure each account carries.

Going the other way: MNQ on the lead, NQ on a follower

You can alias MNQ→NQ with a multiplier of 0.1, so 10 MNQ on the lead becomes 1 NQ on the follower. Be careful with rounding: 5 MNQ × 0.1 is 0.5 NQ, which has to round to a whole contract. Partial exits on the lead make this worse — scaling out of 3 MNQ from 10 becomes 0.3 NQ, which cannot be copied exactly.

Rounding and other traps

• Every result is a whole number of contracts. Small lead trades combined with fractional multipliers can round to zero. Set a minimum contract cap of 1 if the follower should always participate.
• Equity-to-equity plus an alias compounds. If the follower's equity is half the lead's and its alias multiplier is ×10, a 2 NQ lead becomes 1 NQ-equivalent, then 10 MNQ. Check the result once with a test trade.
• Caps apply to the follower's symbol. A per-symbol cap on MNQ limits micro contracts, not NQ-equivalents.
• Firms may count micros differently. Check how your prop firm counts micros toward position limits before choosing a multiplier.
• Stops and targets follow the alias. With copy TP/SL on, the follower's bracket orders are placed on the aliased symbol.