ELITE Tape | Mini Dow Futures: The Dow Fell, YM Led

The Dow had the worst week of the three major U.S. stock indexes, down 1.3%, and mini Dow futures still finished as the top profit instrument across ELITE accounts, more than three times ahead of the next one on the list.

ETF is a futures prop firm for traders who want uncapped LIVE ELITE rewards, and this week shows why the index headline is the wrong place to look for your own result. E-Mini Dow (YM) had sat in the loss column for five straight weeks. This week it flipped to first in profit, and it finished green on four of the five sessions while every session closed red for ELITE accounts as a whole.

Key Takeaways

• E-Mini Dow (YM) was the #1 profit instrument for ELITE accounts, more than three times ahead of E-Mini Russell 2000 (RTY) in second, in a week the Dow fell 1.3%.
• YM finished green on four of five days, including the Monday and Tuesday sessions when the Dow fell.
• The gains were spread out: most of the ELITE accounts that traded YM finished the week positive, and no single account made up more than about 30% of the instrument's net.
• E-Mini NASDAQ-100 (NQ) led the loss column by a wide margin, and every ELITE session closed red, with Monday the heaviest.
• For a trader, the takeaway is that your contract and your sizing decide your week, not the index on the evening news.

Below: what ELITE accounts traded, how the Dow complex ended up on top, where the losses landed, and how each day played out against the real market.

Micro E-mini NASDAQ-100 (MNQ) led trading volume again, about four and a half times the activity of E-Mini NASDAQ-100 (NQ) in second. Together the NASDAQ-100 pair carried roughly three of every four ELITE trades. Micro Gold (MGC) was third, then Micro E-mini S&P 500 (MES), E-Mini S&P 500 (ES), and Gold (GC). E-Mini Dow (YM) came in seventh, followed by Micro E-mini Russell 2000 (M2K), Micro E-mini Dow (MYM), and Micro Crude Oil (MCL).

YM sat well down the volume list, which makes its finish at the top of the profit list stand out more. For position limits by account size, see ETF's guide to how maximum positions work, and for the full set of contracts ELITE accounts can trade, the What Instruments Can I Trade guide.

E-Mini Dow (YM), the contract most traders call mini Dow futures, topped the profit list by a wide margin. E-Mini Russell 2000 (RTY) was second, Silver (SI) third, then Micro Crude Oil (MCL), Micro E-mini Russell 2000 (M2K), and Micro E-mini Dow (MYM). Euro FX (6E), RBOB Gasoline (RB), Nikkei/USD (NKD), and Natural Gas (NG) completed the top 10.

Five weeks in a row, YM had finished in the top 10 loss instruments. This week it was green on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, with Wednesday its only red session. The result also didn't hang on one big winner. Most of the ELITE accounts that traded YM ended the week positive, and the largest single account made up only about 30% of the instrument's net.

Both index families outside the NASDAQ and S&P finished green at both sizes. The Dow pair (YM and MYM) and the Russell 2000 pair (RTY and M2K) all made the top 6, while every NASDAQ-100 and S&P 500 contract landed in the loss column. For a look back at the last time the Dow complex stood apart, see Micro E-mini Futures: Dow's Solo Climb.

E-Mini NASDAQ-100 (NQ) led every instrument in losses, more than two and a half times the next-closest, Micro E-mini S&P 500 (MES). Micro Gold (MGC) was third, a week after it topped the profit list, followed by E-Mini S&P 500 (ES), Crude Oil (CL), and Micro E-mini NASDAQ-100 (MNQ). Micro Silver (SIL), Platinum (PL), Gold (GC), and Swiss Franc (6S) rounded out the top 10 loss instruments.

MNQ carried far more volume than any other contract but only placed sixth in losses; the full-size NQ did most of the damage on a fraction of the trades. That gap is a sizing story, and ETF's Trailing Drawdown Calculator shows how fast a loss limit moves when each position is larger.

Would your risk limits have held up on a week like this? Browse available evaluations and pick the account size and drawdown style that fit how you trade.

Every session closed red for ELITE accounts, and Monday's loss was larger than the other four days combined.

• Mon 9/28: Relative volume 2nd lowest of the week - Net Loss (Heaviest)
• Tue 9/29: Relative volume 2nd highest of the week - Net Loss (3rd Heaviest)
• Wed 9/30: Relative volume middle of the week - Net Loss (4th Heaviest)
• Thu 10/1: Relative volume lowest of the week - Net Loss (Lightest)
• Fri 10/2: Relative volume highest of the week - Net Loss (2nd Heaviest)

Public market reporting shows the Dow fell on each of the first three days. Monday, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all closed lower as U.S.-Iran tensions lifted oil prices and the 10-year Treasury yield reached its highest level since 2007. Tuesday, the Dow and S&P 500 slipped again as long-dated yields kept climbing and consumer confidence fell to its lowest since 2014. Wednesday was the Dow's worst day of the week, down 0.9%, even as a cooler PCE inflation reading lifted the Nasdaq. Thursday, all three recovered as yields eased and chip stocks rallied. Friday, stocks rose after a weaker-than-expected September jobs report, with the Nasdaq touching a record while the Dow and S&P 500 still booked weekly losses.

Put that next to YM's week. ELITE accounts finished green in YM on Monday and Tuesday, two of the Dow's down days, and red on Wednesday, its worst one. Thursday and Friday were green for both. None of this is presented as a cause of ELITE accounts' results, only as verified market context for the same calendar days.

Friday carried the heaviest ELITE volume of the week. It was also the second-heaviest loss. Monday ran the other way: the second-quietest session of the week, and the costliest by a wide margin. Thursday, the lightest volume day, was also the lightest loss. Activity and outcome didn't line up in any simple way this week, which is a good reason to set size by the plan rather than by how busy the tape feels.

YM's busiest session was Friday as well, and it finished green that day.

Streaks and frequency data we're watching:

• E-Mini Dow (YM): broke a 5-week run in the top-10 loss list by finishing first in profit. It has also been a top-10 volume instrument for 14 straight weeks.
• NQ (E-Mini NASDAQ-100): the week's #1 loss instrument, and still a fixture of the loss column since we've been tracking this data.
• MNQ (Micro E-mini NASDAQ-100) and ES (E-Mini S&P 500): each a top-10 loss instrument for a 10th straight week.
• Crude Oil (CL): a top-10 loss instrument for a 5th straight week; Gold (GC) and Micro E-mini S&P 500 (MES) for a 4th.
• Euro FX (6E): a top-10 profit performer for a 4th straight week.
• Micro Gold (MGC): back in the loss column at third, one week after leading the profit list.

The Dow and the NASDAQ didn't move together this week, and the traders who came out ahead were in the contract that fit their plan. Start with an evaluation sized to how you trade, or try a Diamond Hands evaluation if you hold positions longer. Want more than one account size or drawdown style? Add several evaluations to the cart and check out once.

ELITE accounts are sim-funded. The figures in these recaps are position P/L from those accounts, not LIVE ELITE results. Traders reach an Elite Sim-Funded account either by passing an evaluation or by purchasing a Direct to Funded (DTF) account, which skips the evaluation step, and those who do well may progress to LIVE ELITE, ETF's real-capital program, where there is no cap on rewards.

Related Articles

• E-Mini Russell 2000 Futures Led a Red September (the full September recap)
• NASDAQ-100 Futures: Rally Monday Cost the Most (last week, when one session decided the week)
• How Prop Firm Payouts Work: Sim vs Live vs Guaranteed (how rewards work at each stage)

ETF is a futures prop firm for traders who want uncapped LIVE ELITE rewards, with evaluation paths for every stage, whether you trade mini Dow futures, the NASDAQ-100 pair, or any other supported contract. Evaluations are available for every account size, and the Diamond Hands plan is built for traders who hold longer. Real trader results, community feedback, and program details are available through ETF's testimonials, Elite Points program, affiliate program, and trading competitions.

Accuracy note: Figures in this recap are aggregated position P/L across ELITE accounts for September 28 to October 2, 2026, shown as relative indexes and directions. They are not any individual trader's results.

Risk Disclosure: ELITE accounts operate in a simulated trading environment. Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss, and past performance of simulated accounts is not indicative of future results.

Pricing and Product Disclaimer: Pricing, promotions, and product details referenced in this article reflect information available at the time of publication and may have changed. Visit the evaluations page for current pricing.