While Treasury and gold prices seem to think that the US economy is slipping back into a slow or no-growth posture, the odds are good that economic activity was merely crimped by one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record.
Gold
US Growth Expectations Signaling a Long, Slow Recovery
Over the last two months, the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index has racked up some fairly impressive gains, suggesting that commodities have been sensing improvement in the global economic outlook.
Suspicion Toward Pace of Growth, Commodity Markets in Downward Bias
With a second Fed tapering event recently, the reality of less accommodative US monetary conditions was mostly realized in the marketplace, and not surprisingly, equities suffered the brunt of the reality check.
Tax Advantages of Futures Trading
As we are all aware, tax season is now upon us and I am sure everybody could use some relief from the tax man, so what better time to learn about the tax advantages of futures trading! Most experienced traders may understand the differences between trading stocks versus futures and the benefits each offers depending… Read more.
Option Strategies for Futures Traders: #1 Option Tree
There are various exotic option strategies with different objectives and theoretical scenarios. I’m going to walk you through the basics in detail, while keeping these complex instruments as simple as possible! In addition, over the next few weeks, we will cover a few prime options strategies for futures traders that benefit from the leverage and… Read more.
Three Facts About Commodity ETFs
Commodity ETFs vs. Futures As a futures broker at Daniels Trading, I speak to investors every day about commodity futures trading. In speaking with these investors, I commonly hear that it is more convenient to trade commodity ETFs than futures. Commodity ETFs appeal to individuals who want the diversification that ETFs bring without the hassle… Read more.
The Origin and Evolution of the Commodity Futures Market: Part I
The 1983, Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd’s film, “Trading Places”, is a hilarious account of the ups and downs of the commodity futures market. Randolph Duke, Senior Partner of an established commodity brokerage firm, explains to Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) just what exactly commodities are and how they are traded: “Now, what are commodities?… Read more.
The Collar: The Bread and Butter Option Strategy for Hedgers
Many believe that we are in a golden age of farming in this country. Since the summer of 2006, we have seen grain prices move in a big range, both up and down. These price fluctuations combined with below trend yields, new markets (such as China) becoming more willing buyers, and other policy factors have… Read more.
Does Back Testing Work?
I often speak with traders that want to back test their strategy and trading ideas before going live. They spend days and weeks pouring over data attempting to simulate every market condition to see how their “program” works. The goal is to find the ideal situation where a trader’s ideas compare with past market conditions… Read more.
Creating a Futures Portfolio
At the end of the day, most traders and investors are searching for something that works. For them, this involves ways to limit risk while trying to extrapolate upside opportunities. But, the question remains: how can we find simple and effective ways to do this?
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