Every 2026 contract expiration and first notice day, government report, Fed meeting, and market holiday for grain, energy, metal, equity index, interest rate, currency, and crypto futures. Color-coded by category.
A quick-reference guide to the 2026 dates futures traders watch most. The interactive calendar above plots every one of these by day; the summaries below pull out the headline dates for each category.
The last trading day is the final session a futures contract trades before it goes to settlement or delivery. Hold a position past it and you either cash-settle or take on a delivery obligation, so most active traders close or roll before that date. The calendar above lists the last trading day for every contract and month; the most-traded contracts are summarized here.
| Equity index (E-mini S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, Russell 2000, Dow) | Mar 20, Jun 18, Sep 18, Dec 18 |
|---|---|
| Grains (corn, soybeans, wheat, soymeal, soyoil, oats, rice) | Mar 13, May 14, Jul 14, Sep 14, Dec 14 |
Energy, metal, interest-rate, currency, and crypto contracts expire on their own monthly or quarterly schedule — see the color-coded calendar above for each one.
First notice day is the first day the holder of a long position in a physically-delivered contract can be assigned delivery. If you trade delivered markets — grains, the metals complex, crude oil, and Treasury futures — you generally need to be out of the expiring contract before first notice day to avoid a delivery obligation. Cash-settled contracts (equity index, SOFR) have no first notice day. The calendar above marks first notice day for every delivered contract and month.
Rollover is not a fixed date. A contract "rolls" when trading volume and open interest move from the front month into the next contract month, and that shift happens gradually as traders migrate. As a rule of thumb, the equity index futures roll the week before quarterly expiration, and physically-delivered contracts roll ahead of first notice day — but the practical timing is whenever the next month becomes the more liquid market. The cleanest way to time it is to watch volume and open interest yourself: when the deferred month trades more than the front month, the market has rolled.
The Federal Open Market Committee holds eight scheduled two-day meetings in 2026. The rate decision and statement land on the second day, listed below, and these are among the highest-volatility sessions of the year for equity index and interest-rate futures.
| FOMC rate decision (day 2) | Jan 28, Mar 18, Apr 29, Jun 17, Jul 29, Sep 16, Oct 28, Dec 9 |
|---|
The monthly Employment Situation report (nonfarm payrolls) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, plus CPI and PPI inflation data, drive large moves in interest-rate, equity index, and currency futures.
| Jobs Report (Nonfarm Payrolls) | Jan 9, Feb 11, Mar 6, Apr 3, May 8, Jun 5, Jul 2, Aug 7, Sep 4, Oct 2, Nov 6, Dec 4 |
|---|---|
| CPI (Consumer Price Index) | Jan 13, Feb 13, Mar 11, Apr 10, May 12, Jun 10, Jul 14, Aug 12, Sep 11, Oct 14, Nov 10, Dec 10 |
| PPI (Producer Price Index) | Jan 14, Jan 30, Feb 27, Mar 18, Apr 14, May 13, Jun 11, Jul 15, Aug 13, Sep 10, Oct 15, Nov 13, Dec 15 |
For grain and oilseed traders, the USDA report calendar sets the tempo. The monthly WASDE (World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates) and the quarterly Grain Stocks, Prospective Plantings, and Acreage reports are the biggest scheduled movers in corn, soybean, and wheat futures.
| WASDE (World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates) | Jan 12, Feb 10, Mar 10, Apr 9, May 12, Jun 11, Jul 10, Aug 12, Sep 11, Oct 9, Nov 10, Dec 10 |
|---|---|
| Grain Stocks | Jan 12, Mar 31, Jun 30, Sep 30 |
| Prospective Plantings | Mar 31 |
| Acreage | Jun 30 |
Energy traders run on a weekly cycle. The EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report (crude oil, gasoline, and distillate inventories) is released most Wednesdays, and the EIA Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report comes out most Thursdays, with the monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) added in. Releases shift later in weeks with a market holiday. The calendar above shows the exact 2026 release day for each week, including holiday shifts.
U.S. futures markets observe the following 2026 holidays. Whether a date is a full closure or an early close varies by product (equity index, energy, metals, grains, and interest-rate markets each follow their own schedule), so confirm exact hours against the CME Group holiday schedule before trading around these days.
| New Year's Day | Jan 1 |
|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Jan 19 |
| Presidents' Day | Feb 16 |
| Good Friday | Apr 3 |
| Memorial Day | May 25 |
| Juneteenth | Jun 19 |
| Independence Day (observed) | Jul 3 |
| Labor Day | Sep 7 |
| Thanksgiving (early close Nov 27) | Nov 26 |
| Christmas Day | Dec 25 |
Last trading day is the final day a contract trades before settlement or delivery. First notice day is the first day a long position in a physically-delivered contract can be assigned delivery, and it often comes before the last trading day. To avoid a delivery obligation, traders in delivered markets exit before first notice day; traders simply avoiding settlement exit before last trading day.
Rollover is not a set date. A contract rolls when volume and open interest shift from the front month to the next contract month. Equity index futures typically roll the week before quarterly expiration, and physically-delivered contracts roll before first notice day, but the practical timing is whenever the next month becomes the more actively traded contract.
The FOMC rate decisions in 2026 fall on Jan 28, Mar 18, Apr 29, Jun 17, Jul 29, Sep 16, Oct 28, and Dec 9. Each is the second day of a two-day meeting.
The USDA releases the monthly WASDE (World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates) report in 2026 on Jan 12, Feb 10, Mar 10, Apr 9, May 12, Jun 11, Jul 10, Aug 12, Sep 11, Oct 9, Nov 10, and Dec 10.
It depends on the holiday and the product. Some U.S. market holidays bring a full closure and others an early close, and the schedule differs across equity index, energy, metals, grain, and interest-rate markets. Check the holiday list above and confirm exact hours with the CME Group holiday schedule.
