After World War II, the United States entered a period of rapid industrial and capital development, quickly becoming the most powerful country in the world. With its strong economic foundation and firm control over global financial dominance, Americans innovated boldly in capital markets, and stock index futures became one of the better financial investment innovations. Since their debut in the US in 1982, stock index futures have grown over nearly 40 years, with US stock index futures now accounting for over 20% of global market trading volume. China started late in this area but has developed rapidly, with many investors already participating in such investments. In the context of globalization, understanding the US regulatory framework in this field is essential to meet future needs.

1. What are the rules for trading US stock index futures?
   Unlike China’s stock index futures trading system, the US market offers a wider variety of stock index futures, with the most representative being the S&P 500, Dow Jones 30, and Nasdaq 100. Due to the US’s advocacy for liberalization and diversification, trading rules vary slightly between different futures products. However, common features include 24-hour trading on weekdays and the use of leverage. Additionally, US stock index futures trading rules incorporate circuit breakers—for example, if index fluctuations exceed 5% during non-US trading hours, trading halts and orders are voided.

2. How do they differ from domestic trading rules?
   China’s stock index futures market started relatively late, with rules drawing on existing futures product designs, including a minimum 10% margin requirement, mark-to-market settlement, position limits, and price limits. Compared to the US futures trading system, China’s system has many differences, such as fixed trading hours and upper limits on individual positions. However, there are also areas of借鉴 (reference), such as price limits, which were inspired by the US circuit breaker mechanism.

3. How can domestic investors participate in US stock index futures?

4. The US stock index futures market is highly free and transparent, attracting significant attention from domestic investors. For ordinary domestic investors looking to participate in US stock index futures, the first step is to gain a detailed understanding of these products—relevant knowledge and content are available on websites like Yiqi Finance. Next, they should choose a suitable futures broker and a reliable trading platform. Finally, domestic investors should strive to improve their investment analysis skills to potentially achieve success in overseas markets.