A tick value of 31.25 would help in trading for my skill level and style because i and many other short time frame daytraders would trade the bonds different than we trade the ES.
I used to trade the bonds (before the TY was top dog) and also traded the ES and found the ES to be the superior technical puppy to trade. In the ES you can anticipate the setups with far better odds of going to fruition than the bonds. WHY?
Well, recognizing reasons are useless in daytrading and price action, naked and unclothed from frivolous babble is all that matters when the trader puts him/herself in the other traders shoes to get inside their heads. Thus if price itself is the only reason for the season (pun, ha), you need to decide what could force the other traders hands to stay with their trade or to bailout and hit the silk.
In general bond traders are nervous nellies and afraid of their own shadows because they are always fearing inflation and are quick to dump a position, trade in a flash. I look at the intraday bonds in qtrs of a handle moves. Well more like this, but i usually grabbed profits in qtrs> 4 ticks is a level, 8 ticks is a level, 12 ticks is a level, 16 ticks is half a handle, etc, etc. Thats how i traded the bonds when i was in there. I was not an intraday swing trader in the bonds such as i am in the ES because the setups in the bonds compared to ES were like trying to find a gal from a trailer park to take home to impress your Mom and sisters. The quality was surely lacking.
I assume bond traders have most of their "lunch points" (fear and greed, fight or flight) at the quarter levels mentioned. In the ES you might want to be thinking those same lunch points could be approx 5 handles. Get the picture?
How many daytraders want to sit through a 8 tick loss in bonds and a 5 handle loser in ES? If you want to run with the big dogs as a piker, follow the habits of the big mutts in the pack.
PS: So assume in bonds you are skilled enough to have solid discipline combined with a keen eye for the levels and a max loss of 4 ticks each and EVERY trade..............then you are good to go. I also like TT to trade intraday.
