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 the future, rather than today. While no one knows what price oil will trade at in nine months, futures market participants believe they can.
How are crude oil contracts structured?
An oil futures contract is a contract to buy or sell a specific quantity of barrels of oil at a specific price on a specific date. When buying futures, the buyer and seller execute a contract that is secured by a margin payment that covers a percentage of the contract’s entire value.
What is the duration of an oil futures contract?
You’re not going to the store and buying a couple thousand 55-gallon barrels of crude oil to store in your backyard, are you? That’s just not feasible.
Crude oil futures contracts were created to allow oil corporations and companies that consume a lot of oil to plan delivery of the commodity at a set price and date. Today, these contracts are also traded between speculators who expect to profit from the commodity’s volatility.
On the futures market, these derivatives are a hot commodity, with the potential to yield large gains in a short period of time. Unfortunately, when bad decisions are made, the consequences can be just as severe.
The majority of oil futures contracts include the purchase and sale of 1,000 barrels of crude oil. When a contract is purchased, it stipulates that these barrels of oil will be delivered at a certain date (up to nine years away) and for a predetermined price at a predetermined date (or expiration date).
Let’s imagine you bought an oil futures contract today with a three-month expiration date; you’d be owed 1,000 barrels of oil three months from now, but you’d pay today’s price let’s say $50 per barrel as an example.
You notice that the price of oil has climbed to $51 per barrel in 30 days, indicating that your futures contract is now worth $1,000 more than you paid. If the price of oil fell to $49 per barrel, on the other hand, you would have lost $1,000.
In either case, you’ll want to sell as soon as possible when the contract expires. Individual investors and price speculators who aren’t large-scale crude oil users typically close off futures contracts well before they expire.
- You’re probably not going to be able to store 1,000 barrels of oil. You probably don’t have enough room to store 55,000 gallons of oil. If you own the contract when it expires, you’ll have to decide where to store the oil and what to do with it. Your entire investment is gone if you opt not to take ownership.
- Futures contracts lose value as they get closer to expiration. The futures market operates at a breakneck speed, with the thrill being in forecasting what will happen in a week rather than when the contract will expire. The premium paid for future value growth decreases as the contract approaches its expiration date. As a result, holding these contracts for too long will limit your prospective gains.
Pro tip: If you want to invest in oil futures, you should open an account with a broker who specializes in future contracts. When you open an account with TradeStation, you can get a $5,000 registration bonus.
What is the purpose of a futures contract?
Futures Contracts: An Overview Futures are financial derivatives that bind the parties to trade an item at a fixed price and date in the future. Regardless of the prevailing market price at the expiration date, the buyer or seller must purchase or sell the underlying asset at the predetermined price.
What is the value of an oil futures contract?
Crude oil futures contracts have a 0.01 per barrel specification and are worth $10.00 per contract. Sunday through Friday, electronic trading of crude oil futures is performed on the CME Globex trading platform from 6:00 p.m. U.S. to 5:00 p.m. U.S. ET.
How are oil futures prices determined?
When the current price of WTI futures is $54, the contract’s current value is calculated by multiplying the current price of a barrel of oil by the contract’s size. The current value in this case would be $54 x 1000 = $54,000.
Are oil futures delivered physically?
The underlying asset of an option or derivatives contract is physically delivered on a fixed delivery date with a physical delivery. Let’s take a look at a physical delivery scenario. Assume two parties agree to a one-year Crude Oil futures contract at a price of $58.40 in March 2019. The buyer is committed to acquire 1,000 barrels of crude oil (unit for 1 crude oil futures contract) from the seller regardless of the commodity’s spot price on the settlement date. The long contract holder loses if the spot price on the specified settlement day in March is less than $58.40, while the short contract holder benefits. If the spot price is higher than the $58.40 futures price, the long position profits, while the selling loses.
When futures contracts expire, what happens?
Upon expiration, many financial futures contracts, such as the popular E-mini contracts, are cash settled. This means that the contract’s value is marked to market on the last day of trading, and the trader’s account is debited or credited based on whether the trader made a profit or loss. To preserve the same market exposure, large traders typically roll their bets before to expiration. During these rollover periods, some traders may try to profit on pricing abnormalities.
Is crude oil a finite resource?
Although you can’t scent rotten oil from an oil drum lid as you can a gallon of milk, crude oil can go bad under the correct circumstances and with improper exposure. Oil, unlike other products, does not include components that expire on a regular basis.
What impact do oil futures have on oil prices?
Oil futures, also known as futures contracts, are agreements to buy or sell oil at a certain price at a specific date in the future. Traders in oil futures make bids on the price of oil based on their expectations for future prices. To decide the price, they look at predicted supply and demand. Traders will raise the price of oil if they believe demand will rise as the global economy expands. Even when there is ample supply, this might result in high oil prices.
How can you profit from futures contracts?
Futures are traded on margin, with investors paying as little as ten percent of the contract’s value to possess it and control the right to sell it until it expires. Profits are magnified by margins, but they also allow you to gamble money you can’t afford to lose. It’s important to remember that trading on margin entails a unique set of risks. Choose contracts that expire after the period in which you estimate prices to peak. If you buy a March futures contract in January but don’t expect the commodity to achieve its peak value until April, the contract is worthless. Even if April futures aren’t available, a May contract is preferable because you can sell it before it expires while still waiting for the commodity’s price to climb.