ES Futures Signals: Free S&P 500 Alerts And How To Use Them
A plain guide to ES alerts on the 1-minute chart: what the message says, what you decide, and how to size ES or MES from your stop.
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ES is the E-mini S&P 500 futures contract. It is one of the most traded futures markets in the world, and its moves on a 1-minute chart are usually smoother than NQ's. That makes it a common first market for traders who want quick, rule-based trades.
This guide covers ES futures signals the way ProvenSignals sends them: what each alert tells you, what it leaves to you, and the one plan we use on every alert. For the general alert format, see how to read trading signals.
What An ES Signal Looks Like
An ES alert has three parts: market, direction and chart timeframe.
ES Sell Signal | Chart 1-minute
There is no entry price, stop or target in the message. You open ES on the 1-minute chart and set those from the chart in front of you. A fixed stop written into an alert can be stale by the time you read it. A stop you place behind the latest swing high or low is not.
If your platform lists the S&P 500 under another name or as a micro contract, the plan below works the same way. Only the value per point changes.
How To Trade An ES Signal, Step By Step
Run the same routine on every ES alert, in the same order.
- Open ES (or MES) on the 1-minute chart, the timeframe the alert names.
- Find the most recent swing low (on a buy) or swing high (on a sell) that price has reacted to.
- Put the stop just beyond it: below recent support on a buy, above recent resistance on a sell.
- Size the trade from that stop with the position size calculator, so a stop-out costs only the amount you chose to risk.
- Plan the exit before you enter: close after a 3-5 candle move in the trade's direction.
- If the nearest sensible stop is wider than a normal 3-5 candle move, let the alert go.
ES Or MES: Sizing From Your Stop
One ES contract is worth $50 per index point. A 4-point stop is $200 of risk on one contract. The micro, MES, is $5 per point, so the same 4-point stop is $20 per contract. That tenth-size step is what makes ES workable for smaller accounts.
Set your risk in dollars first, measure the stop in points, and divide. The position size calculator does the maths for ES and moves you to MES when one full contract is over budget. It always rounds down, never up.
| Contract | Value per point | Smallest price step |
|---|---|---|
| ES | $50 | 0.25 point ($12.50) |
| MES | $5 | 0.25 point ($1.25) |
When To Skip An ES Alert
A skipped alert costs nothing. A forced one can.
- Price has already moved 3-5 candles in the alert's direction before you opened the chart.
- There is no recent support (for a buy) or resistance (for a sell) to put a stop behind.
- The stop would make even one MES larger than your risk budget.
- A major scheduled US data release is minutes away.
- You are trading because you are bored, not because the chart fits the plan.
ES Or NQ Signals: Which Should You Take?
Both come with the same plan. ES tends to move in smaller steps, so stops are often a few points. NQ moves further per minute, so stops are wider in points and in dollars. If you are new to futures, starting with ES or MES alerts and ignoring the rest is a sensible way to learn the routine. The NQ signals guide covers the Nasdaq side.
Whichever you pick, decide in advance how many alerts you will take in a session. The guide on how many trades per day to take explains how to set that limit, and when to exit a trade covers stops and exits in more depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. ES alerts are posted in the free ProvenSignals Telegram channel alongside NQ, XAUUSD, EURUSD and BTC.
The market, the direction and the chart timeframe, for example ES Sell Signal, Chart 1-minute. Entry, stop and exit are set by you on the chart.
On a buy, just below recent support. On a sell, just above recent resistance. Then size the trade from that distance.
Usually. MES is $5 per point against $50 for ES, so it lets you keep a normal stop without risking too much. If one MES is still over budget, skip the trade.
The alerts are for the 1-minute chart, so plan a quick trade and close after a 3-5 candle move in the trade's direction. If the stop is hit first, the trade is over.
Get The Signals
Get free ES alerts together with NQ, XAUUSD, EURUSD and BTC. Open the 1-minute chart, set your stop, and size every trade from it.
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