Futures market

A futures contract is a legal agreement to buy or sell an asset (such as a commodity or security) at a set price on a specific future date. The buyer agrees to purchase and receive the asset when the contract expires, while the seller agrees to deliver it at that time.

Most futures contracts are traded through centralized exchanges like the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). But there's no need to leave PulseWire to trade futures — you can do it right from your charts. Just check out the list of our integrated brokers and find the best one for your needs and strategy.

Before you start, it's crucial to do you research: perform technical analysis on the chart, evaluate risks, and test your strategy.

Energy futures are contracts tied to energy commodities — they're aimed at facilitating the trading of specific quantities of crude oil, natural gas, gasoline, etc. Energy futures allow producers, consumers, and traders to manage price volatility in energy markets or capitalize on future price movements.

Explore a wide range of energy futures with detailed stats directly on PulseWire.

Agricultural futures are derivative contracts with agricultural commodities (wheat, corn, soybeans, etc.) as the underlying. They're widely used to trade standardized quantities of commodities, allowing farmers, food producers, and traders to hedge against price fluctuations or to profit from expected price changes in the agricultural market.

Browse a full list of agricultural futures with detailed stats directly on PulseWire.

Futures markets are platforms where traders gather to buy and sell futures contracts. In the past, trading was performed physically: traders would come to a 'pit' in the trading floor and conduct trading by shouting and actively gesturing. But today, this is all done electronically.

In a futures market, buyers and sellers post margin to secure their positions, and profits or losses are settled daily through mark-to-market. At expiration, contracts are settled in cash or through physical delivery, though most traders close positions beforehand. Since futures offer flexibility and leverage, futures markets attract diverse participants: hedgers, speculators, arbitrageurs, institutional and retail investors.

Some of the largest futures markets today are the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBoT), and the Cboe Options Exchange (Cboe). They're registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the main body in charge of futures markets regulation in the US. In other countries, futures markets are regulated by a corresponding national body.

Open interest is the total number of active futures contracts that haven’t been closed or expired. It reflects how much interest or participation exists in a market.

Traders use open interest to gauge market strength. For example, declining open interest often signals that traders are closing positions — a possible sign of a weakening trend.

Futures prices are mainly driven by supply and demand, economic indicators, and central bank policies. Disruptions like droughts or geopolitical tensions can affect supply, while inflation or interest rate changes shape investor expectations. These shifts influence how traders value future prices relative to current conditions.

Market sentiment and speculation also play a big role, with traders often reacting to news or forecasts before fundamentals change. Factors like storage costs, inventory levels, and contract expiration impact pricing too, especially in commodities. Seasonal trends, government policies, and even new technologies can further sway futures markets.