The Dow Jones Industrial Average follows thirty large US companies. In MetaTrader 5 it is DJ30. Unlike oil, which is monthly, it trades as a quarterly contract that expires in March, June, September or December — for example DJ30_Z26, the December contract. The plain name is a chart only.
Points, not cents
An index moves in points. A move from 51,000 to 51,100 is 100 points; a move from 51,000 to 50,900 is 100 points the other way.
$10 a point on one lot
One lot of DJ30 is 10 times the index, so each point is worth $10 on one lot. A move of 100 points is therefore worth $1,000 on one lot, and $100 on 0.10 lot — in your favour or against you.
The fixed spread
The spread on DJ30 is fixed at 2 points. On one lot that is 2 × $10 = $20 when you open, and it does not widen when US data comes out.
Other indices
The Nasdaq (US100) works the same way: $20 a point on one lot, with a fixed spread of 1.75 points. The S&P 500 (US500) is $50 a point; its spread, like those of every other index, can change.
Worked example
- You buy 1 lot of DJ30_Z26 at 51,000.
- Margin set aside: $1,000.
- Spread cost when you open: $20.
- You close at 51,100: 100 points × $10 = +$1,000.
- Had you closed at 50,900, the result would have been −$1,000.
Key points
- DJ30 is the Dow Jones index; you trade its quarterly contract (March, June, September, December), such as DJ30_Z26.
- One lot is 10 times the index: $10 for every point.
- The spread is fixed at 2 points — $20 on one lot.
- A move of 100 points on one lot is $1,000, either way.
Try it
Open the Dow Jones page and watch the live price move in points, then work out what each move would be worth on 0.10 lot.
Open Dow Jones today