Last Trading Day of September: What You Need to Know

On the last trading day of the month, futures markets often see elevated volume and more abrupt intraday swings as large participants—CTAs, hedge funds, commodity pools, and corporates—rebalance, roll, or close positions for performance reporting and risk alignment. Those flows can cluster around key reference windows (e.g., settlement periods and cash-market closes), creating brief liquidity vacuums where spreads widen, slippage increases, and stop cascades are more likely.

Even when overall volume is high, liquidity can be uneven, with deeper book liquidity alternating with thin pockets—so an order that would normally fill cleanly may experience partial fills or adverse selection. It’s also common to see basis and calendar spreads move sharply as rolls concentrate, especially in equity index, rates, energy, and metals.

Practical pointers: come in with a predefined plan and smaller initial size, use limit or passive orders where possible, and avoid chasing late-month breakouts unless your setup and risk budget justify it. Keep an eye on roll calendars, first notice day (for deliverable commodities), margin changes, and any month-end economic releases that can amplify flows (e.g., regional PMIs, rebalancing signals).

Monitor depth-of-book and implied spread quotes; if spreads widen, consider adjusting targets and stops rather than forcing entries. Be wary of Trade-at-Settlement/settlement-period prints if you’re not deliberately targeting the fix.

Finally, tighten process discipline: mark your levels early, define max slippage, and be comfortable standing down if the tape becomes disorderly—not trading is a position. (Educational only—this is not investment advice; manage risk according to your plan and account constraints.)

Have a question about ANY futures market? Trading techniques? Platforms? Trading Algos? Most of our brokers have over 12 years experience and can be one of the most valuable resource you have access to! Speak/chat/email a broker now.

That’s the Last Trading Day of the Month! Plan your Trade and Trade Your Plan!