NAS100 is a common broker name for a CFD on the Nasdaq-100, an index of 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on Nasdaq. What is in it, what moves it and how the CFD works on MT5.
NAS100 is the name many brokers give to a CFD on the Nasdaq-100 index. You may also see it listed as US100 or USTEC.
What the Nasdaq-100 tracks
The Nasdaq-100 Index (ticker NDX) measures 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on Nasdaq. Nasdaq's methodology excludes companies classed in the Financial industry under the Industry Classification Benchmark, so banks and insurers are not in it. That is why the index leans towards technology, communication services and consumer companies.
The index is weighted by market value, with limits on how large any company can get. The biggest companies count the most. The level is quoted in index points.
Nasdaq updated the methodology with effect from 1 May 2026, after a public consultation in February 2026. The changes deal mainly with how large new listings enter the index.
The Nasdaq-100 and the Nasdaq Composite
The two are often confused.
| Nasdaq-100 | Nasdaq Composite |
|---|---|---|
Companies | 100 of the largest non-financial | More than 3,000, all Nasdaq-listed |
Financial companies | Excluded | Included |
Weighting | Market value, with caps | Market value |
Usual CFD names | NAS100, US100 | Rarely offered as a CFD |
The largest companies in the Composite are also the largest in the Nasdaq-100, so the two usually move together from day to day. Brokers' CFDs follow the Nasdaq-100.
Index, futures and CFD
Three related products share the name.
The index is a calculated number, updated through the day from the prices of its members. You cannot buy it directly.
Nasdaq-100 futures trade on CME. The E-mini Nasdaq-100 is worth $20 per index point, with a minimum price move of 0.25 points. The Micro E-mini is a tenth of that size, at $2 per point. Futures have fixed contract sizes, set expiry dates and exchange margin.
A NAS100 CFD is an agreement with your broker to settle the change in price between when you open the position and when you close it. You do not own shares or a futures contract. You can trade small sizes, sell short as easily as you buy, and use leverage. You trade at the broker's price, and leverage makes losses grow as fast as gains. A broker's CFD can be priced from the cash index or from a futures contract, so its price can differ a little from the index quoted in the news.
A worked example, using an illustrative point value: if a contract is worth $1 per index point per lot and you buy 2 lots, a 150-point rise gains $300 (2 × 150 × $1) and a 150-point fall loses $300, before costs. Your own symbol's point value is in its MT5 specification.
Why a few large companies move the index
Because the index is weighted by market value, a small group of very large technology and communication companies drives much of its movement.
Nasdaq's rules limit that concentration without removing it. Under the methodology as at May 2026, no single company may weigh more than 24%, and the companies that each weigh more than 4.5% may not add up to more than 48% between them. If either limit is breached, Nasdaq cuts the weights back at a rebalance, and it can call a special rebalance between the scheduled ones.
So close to half of the index can sit in a handful of companies. Suppose those companies make up 48% of the index and all fall 5% on the same day while every other member is flat. Measured against the previous close, the index falls by about 2.4% (48% × 5%). A broad index with smaller top weights would fall less on the same news.
What moves the price
Three things move NAS100 most.
Results from the largest companies. With so much weight in so few names, quarterly results from a top holding can move the whole index within seconds of the release. A strong or weak result from one of them can outweigh dozens of smaller members.
Interest rates and the dollar. Growth and technology companies are sensitive to interest-rate expectations, because more of their expected profit lies years ahead. When the Federal Reserve signals higher rates for longer, those future profits are worth less today, and the index tends to fall. The US Dollar Index often rises at the same time. Signals of lower rates tend to have the reverse effect.
Risk appetite. NAS100 tends to rise when investors are willing to take risk and to fall quickly when they cut it. A geopolitical shock, stress in credit markets or a sudden fall in another market can all lead to fast selling, because highly valued and leveraged positions are often sold first.
On a given day, one of these usually matters more than the others. None of them tells you which way the next move will go.
How a NAS100 CFD works on MT5
In MetaTrader 5, a Nasdaq-100 CFD appears in Market Watch, and you trade it in much the same way as a currency pair. Right-click the symbol and open Specification to see its contract size, point value, margin and trading hours.
You can buy if you expect the index to rise or sell if you expect it to fall. Selling short works the same way as buying.
Leverage lets you open a position larger than the margin you put up. As an illustration only, if a $50,000 position needed $500 of margin, a move against you worth $500 would use all of it. That is a price move of one point in every hundred. Your margin rate for each symbol is in its MT5 specification.
You pay the spread when you trade, and positions held past the daily rollover pay or earn swap. On index CFDs the spread often widens around the daily break and around major news.
Index CFDs usually trade for most of the day, five days a week, following the futures schedule with a short daily break and a weekend close. Prices move most during US stock market hours.
Set a stop-loss and a take-profit when you open the trade. The index can move a long way in seconds after an earnings release or a Federal Reserve decision, and prices can gap past a stop, so the loss can be larger than you planned.
Trading index CFDs with NAMH Global
You can trade index CFDs, including the Nasdaq-100, on MetaTrader 5 with NAMH Global. The indices page lists the other indices we offer, and our guide to forex leverage explains margin and leverage if they are new to you.
CFDs use leverage. You can lose money quickly, and you can lose all of the money you deposit. Only trade with money you can afford to lose.
NAS100 questions
Is NAS100 the same as the Nasdaq-100?
No. The Nasdaq-100 is the index, a number calculated from the prices of its member companies. NAS100 is a name brokers give to a CFD whose price follows that index, and the CFD is what you buy or sell.
What is the difference between NAS100 and US100?
Usually none: both are names brokers use for a CFD on the Nasdaq-100. The name depends on the broker. In MT5, open the symbol's specification to see what it is priced from.
What moves the NAS100 price?
Results from its largest companies, US interest-rate expectations and general risk appetite move it most. Because a few large companies carry much of the weight, one earnings release or one Federal Reserve decision can move the whole index within minutes.
Can you trade NAS100 on MT5?
Yes, where the broker lists a Nasdaq-100 CFD, it appears in MT5 Market Watch and you trade it like a currency pair. You can buy or sell, set stop-loss and take-profit orders, and see the contract size, point value and margin in the symbol's specification.
Is trading NAS100 risky?
Yes. NAS100 CFDs are leveraged, so losses grow as fast as gains, and the index can move sharply on results from a handful of large technology companies. You can lose all of the money you deposit.
What are NAS100 trading hours?
Nasdaq-100 CFDs usually trade for most of the day, five days a week, with a short daily break and a weekend close. Prices move most during US stock market hours. The exact hours and holiday changes for a symbol are in its MT5 specification.
Sources
- Nasdaq-100 Index methodology, Nasdaq
- Nasdaq concludes public consultation on Nasdaq-100 Index methodology, Nasdaq
- E-mini Nasdaq-100 contract specifications, CME Group
NAMH Global Ltd is a company registered in Saint Lucia (No. 2024-00372). It is not licensed by a securities regulator. This article is general information, not investment advice or a recommendation.