summary: how to check which contract month edgeful's reports and what's in play are on, what changes during a quarterly roll, and which contract to put on your own chart.

four times a year ES, NQ, YM, RTY and the other quarterly futures move to the next contract month. around that week the most common question is a simple one: which contract is edgeful on today? here's how to check, and what to expect while the roll is happening.

open any report for the instrument and scroll to the day-by-day data table. the contract column shows the contract each row came from, and the most recent row tells you the contract edgeful is on right now.

you can also hover over the ticker on the what's in play page to see the contract it's using.

the contract is the same across reports, what's in play and the screener, so one check covers all three.

the letter in the symbol is the contract month, and the number is the year. for the quarterly index futures:

so ESU2026 (or ESU6) is the September 2026 contract, and ESZ2026 is December.

edgeful doesn't switch on a fixed date. it moves to the new contract once the new contract's daily volume overtakes the old one, which is when the market itself has rolled. that's often a day or two before the old contract's last trading day.

different instruments can switch on different days. during roll week it's normal for one index to already be on the new contract while another is still on the old one, so check each instrument you trade.

while the roll is happening, a live reading on what's in play can briefly reference the expiring contract while your chart shows the new one, or the other way round. the two contracts trade at different prices, so the levels won't line up.

if a number looks off that week, check the contract column first, then put the same contract on your chart and compare again. if they still don't match on the same contract, message us in the chat.

for comparing to edgeful's reports, use the same contract edgeful is on.

for algo alerts, it depends on your broker. Tradovate and NinjaTrader use the current front-month contract and need a new alert after each roll. ProjectX-based firms like TopstepX use the continuous contract. the full steps are in futures contract rollovers.