Learn about the Futures Markets
Access a variety of free information and resources to help you trade the futures markets. Browse through the list of contracts to find the latest information, including history, contract specifications, market news and more.
Futures Market Sectors
Currency Futures Overview- Usually a currency futures contract is priced in U.S. dollars per unit of another currency. The purpose of a currency future — or an ‘FX future’ — is to set a contract for the exchange of one currency for another currency at a specific point in time at a fixed price.
Energy Futures Overview- Because developing countries, such as India, are rapidly evolving into a more technologically advanced society, the demand for the energy products to fuel such progress has rapidly shifted outward. Speculators and investors are becoming increasingly attracted to the multifunctionality of energy futures contracts.
Grains & Oilseeds Futures Overview- The total production volume for grain and oilseeds is highly dependent on factors such as weather, crop production cycles, and shift in global demand. Grain and Oilseed futures contracts are often used as price risk management and price discovery tools.
Interest Rate Futures Overview- An interest rate futures contract, such as a t-bond or Eurodollar contract, has an interest-bearing instrument as an underlying asset. These futures are typically employed to hedge against the risk of interest rates rising or falling in an adverse direction.
Livestock Futures Overview- As with most futures contracts, livestock futures contracts specify the commodity, quantity, and the delivery point. Beyond these, livestock futures also specify the quality of the commodity in particular U.S. grades.
Metals Futures Overview- Metal futures have a long-standing history of attracting everyone from banks to private individual traders. These contracts’ widespread popularity is a result of their usefulness in protecting buyers and sellers against price and volatility risk, as well as for allowing investors to pursue opportunities.
Stock Index Futures Overview- A stock index future is a cash-settled contract based upon the value of a stock market index, such as the S&P 500 stock market index. These contracts have a broad spectrum of uses, including hedging risk.
Tropicals & Softs Futures Overview- Tropicals and Softs are renewable but are annually influenced by climate changes, diseases, and water shortages. Increased demand for these commodities has attracted futures investment, a trend that will certainly continue in the future.