Introduction
- Futures are a type of financial derivatives or financial agreements or contracts traded in the exchanges.
- They are financial contracts to buy or sell a specified quantity of financial assets or commodity at a future date at a price agreed upon by the seller and buyer.
Features of Futures Contracts
- Futures contracts are liquid as they are standardized and traded in exchanges.
- Futures contracts being traded on exchanges are standardized.
- Futures allow hedging against adverse price changes.
- Futures make transactions across time easier, speedier, and less costly.
- Futures help in price discovery.
- A futures contract allows an investor to speculate on the price of a financial instrument or commodity.
Important Terminologies
- Spot Price: It is also referred to as cash price or the current price. It is the price of a good for immediate delivery.
- Basis: It is the difference between cash price and the futures price of a particular good.
- Spread: It is the difference between two futures prices. Spreads are important for speculators.