Investment

The vast majority of futures options expire at the end of the trading day, but there are a few notable exceptions. Options with an a.m. expiration are usually written on a future contract with the same expiration date and time as the current contract. When do futures contracts expire? The final settlement time varies by […]

A perpetual futures contract, also known as a perpetual swap in finance, is an agreement to buy or sell an asset at an undefined date in the future without the choice to do so. Perpetual futures are cash-settled and differ from conventional futures in that they do not have a pre-determined delivery date, allowing them

Dow futures are commodity deals with predetermined prices and delivery dates. They allow investors to forecast or speculate on the future value of stocks before the market opens. What do the Dow futures stand for? Dow futures are commodity deals with predetermined prices and delivery dates. Prior to the opening bell, they allow investors to

In theory, oil futures contracts are straightforward. They keep the time-honored practice of certain market participants selling risk to others who willingly buy it in the expectation of profiting. To put it another way, buyers and sellers agree on a price for oil (or soybeans, or gold) that will be traded at some point in

Unlike most agricultural commodities, oil futures are settled on a monthly basis. Other futures contracts, for example, may only settle four times a year. Oil contracts’ increased frequency and regularity make it easier for investors to spot trends, or projected movements, in the price of oil. How long can you keep oil futures in your

Accessing publicly available market quotes is all it takes to keep track of the NASDAQ 100 index and futures. Visit a financial website like Yahoo! Finance or CNBC for “streaming” quotes on significant indices including the Dow Jones Industrials, the Standard & Poor’s 500, and the NASDAQ 100. When will stock futures be available? Stock

SPAN margin is used as collateral in options trading to protect against potentially negative price changes. The minimal margin requirement to transact a futures or options trade in the market is known as SPAN. A standardized calculation of portfolio risk is used to determine the margin needed. What exactly is the SPAN margin? The initial

Futures contracts are agreements between two parties to buy or sell a company stock, bond, currency, or other item at a predetermined price and at a predetermined period in the future in traditional financial markets. Futures contracts, unlike traditional spot markets, do not allow participants to buy or sell the underlying asset directly. They trade

Weather futures are traded similarly to commodity futures, which are bets on everyday items like oil and lumber, as well as pork bellies and cereal. Pretend you’re Captain Crunch to get a better understanding of the concept. You’ll need roughly 100 tons of corn per month to make your signature cereal. But what if you’re

Accessing publicly available market quotes is all it takes to keep track of the NASDAQ 100 index and futures. Visit a financial website like Yahoo! Finance or CNBC for “streaming” quotes on significant indices including the Dow Jones Industrials, the Standard & Poor’s 500, and the NASDAQ 100. How do I gain access to the