Rollover means moving activity from an expiring futures contract to another expiry. Changing a chart or alert symbol does not move an existing position. Check the exchange calendar, the provider deadline and volume in both contracts before updating the entire workflow.
Educational software guidance. Trading involves risk. Read the financial and information disclaimers.
Current equity index reference dates
CME's current customary roll calendar uses the Monday before the third Friday for U.S. equity indexes. It permits participants to roll at other times. Check the dated exchange calendar rather than an older Thursday-based convention.
| Expiring quarter | CME customary roll | Published expiration |
|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | June 15 | June 18 |
| September 2026 | September 14 | September 18 |
| December 2026 | December 14 | December 18 |
| March 2027 | March 15 | March 19 |
| June 2027 | June 14 | June 18 |
The June 2026 holiday-adjusted expiration shows why mechanically choosing every third Friday is unsafe. These dates are for the table's U.S. index category, not Nikkei, energy or metals.
Update the workflow
- Record open positions and working orders by actual expiry.
- Check the next listed contract, exchange calendar and provider's last permitted holding time. Deliverable products can have first-notice and delivery restrictions before final trading ends.
- Compare activity in both contracts. Volume migration and expiration are separate events.
- Change charts, DOMs and instrument lists deliberately. For example, the next quarterly contract after ESZ6 is ESH7.
- Update strategy inputs and regenerate receiving-service configuration where required. Recreate TradingView alerts after changing the saved context they use.
- Reconcile remaining old-contract orders and positions independently. A new-contract quote does not prove the old exposure is gone.
Closing and reopening exposure can incur a spread, fees and slippage. The price difference between expiries is not itself a trading profit or a promise of a cost-free roll.
PickMyTrade mapping
PickMyTrade documents its rollover rule. Use its selected exact contract when you need explicit control. A service mapping a continuous symbol for new alerts does not necessarily close or transfer an existing position. Keep the old and new contract identifiers in the reconciliation record.
Screenshot references
Common questions
Is rollover the same as expiration?
No. Rollover is a change of exposure or activity; expiration is the contract deadline.
Must I use the CME customary date?
Your permitted timing also depends on the account provider and strategy. CME allows participants to roll at other times.
Can changing a chart close the old position?
No. Inspect and manage that exposure separately through the supported workflow.
Are energy and metal dates the same?
No. Use their product calendars and delivery-related deadlines.