Learn Futures Trading
on NinjaTrader
We’re passionate about day trading — and we care about your success. Follow the learning path below from the basics all the way to advanced trading strategies.
Getting Started
Walk through the basics of futures trading and get familiar with the NinjaTrader platform.
What are Futures?
Contracts, tick values, and how the futures market actually works.
Read →Read a Price Chart
Candlesticks, price action, and what the chart is telling you.
Read →NinjaTrader Platform
Desktop, web, and mobile apps — everything you need to know.
Read →What's Next?
Full getting-started guide and next-step recommendations.
Read →Trading Indicators
There are countless indicators available to assist your trading. Here's a closer look at the ones that matter.
Bar Types
Time, tick, range, volume, and renko bars — each tells a story.
Read →Moving Averages
One of the most widely used trading tools in the world.
Read →Common Indicators
RSI, MACD, Bollinger Bands, and other staples.
Read →Chart Types
Pick the right chart type for your trading style.
Read →Volume & Delta
What's really happening beneath the surface of price.
Read →Trading Styles
Pick the style that fits your comfort level and personality — there's no single right way to trade.
Order Flow Trading
Real-time view of buyer vs. seller aggression — the closest thing to seeing institutional footprints.
Learn More →Support & Resistance
One of the most time-tested styles in trading. Identify key levels where buyers and sellers react.
Learn More →Fully-Automated Systems
Take emotion out of trading with a strategy that runs in live markets without intervention.
Learn More →Trading Tips
Mastering the markets may seem like an impossible task. Here are a few tips that will help lead you to success.
Ready to Put It Into Practice?
Browse our full article library for deeper dives, or check out our premium NinjaTrader tools built by active futures traders.
Browse All Articles →How to Use This Learning Path
Work through the four steps in order. Getting Started covers how futures contracts work and how to read a price chart. Trading Indicators explains the bar types, chart types and indicators you will see on most charts. Trading Styles shows how traders put those tools to work with order flow and support and resistance, and Trading Tips covers planning, risk and the mindset that holds it all together.
Can I practice without risking money?
Yes. NinjaTrader Desktop includes a simulation account, so you can try each idea from these guides on live or replayed market data before trading a funded account.
What should I learn first?
Start with what futures are, including tick size, tick value and margin, so you know exactly what one contract can make or lose before you place a trade.
Which platform do these guides use?
The screenshots and settings in these guides come from NinjaTrader Desktop (NinjaTrader 8), but the ideas behind them, such as bar types, moving averages, volume and support and resistance, apply on any charting platform.
Do I need paid indicators to follow these guides?
No. Most of the guides use standard tools that come with NinjaTrader Desktop, such as moving averages, the ATR and volume. Our premium indicators are optional and build on the same ideas.
Can I practise without risking money?
Yes. NinjaTrader Desktop includes simulation accounts, such as Sim101, and a Playback connection that replays past market data, so you can practise entries, exits and position sizing before trading a live or prop firm account.
What are micro futures?
Micro E-mini contracts are one tenth the size of the standard E-mini contracts: one MES moves like a tenth of one ES. They let a new trader trade the same markets with much smaller risk per tick while learning.
How long does it take to learn?
Longer than most people expect. Learning the platform takes days; learning to follow your own rules under pressure usually takes months of practice and review. Start with the guides in order, practise on simulation, and keep a written record of every trade.
Which market should I start with?
Most new futures traders start with a liquid index future traded through its micro contract, such as MES or MNQ, during regular US market hours. Liquid markets fill orders close to the price you see, and the micro size keeps mistakes small while you learn.