More than one trillion dollars are traded on a daily basis. A staggering figure you would say. Futures trading, on the other hand, relates to a contract or an agreement to sell or buy a commodity or a financial instrument at a specific price, on a specific date in the future.

Businesses and individuals basically trade Futures in order to lock in a fixed price to buy or sell at a future date. This is done so as to guide against future price fluctuations. Futures contracts enable traders to navigate risks and uncertainties that occur from changes in price. When a Futures trader locks in a fixed price, they lessen the risk of being negatively impacted by future changes in price. The futures trader can profit by correctly guessing where the direction of the price for a certain commodity would go at a future date; conversely, if the futures trader gets the prediction or speculation wrong, they could lose all their investments and more.

Both Forex and Futures trading are enormous investment opportunities. When considering which option is best for you, the key is to research both thoroughly and keep in mind the delicate balance of minimizing risk while maximizing your returns. There are notable differences between Forex vs Futures trading which an investor may want to consider. Here are some facts that can be of help.

The Forex market boasts a staggering liquidity of 5. The extent of liquidity between the Forex market and the Futures market cannot be compared, and this is one of the many advantages that the Forex market hold over the Futures market. Another remarkable difference between Forex vs Futures trading is the fact that the Forex market operates a seamless hour market. From Monday to Friday, Forex traders have uninterrupted access to make instant trades on the Forex market based on valuable information or market indicators that may affect the value of any currency.

In contrast, the Futures market relies on opening and closing bells of the stock exchange market in order to open or close the trading market. As a result, Futures traders are unable to react to valuable information or positive market indicators instantly, especially when the market is closed.

There are minimal or no commissions when it comes to Forex trading. Even if commissions do exist in any measure in Forex trading, they cannot in any way be compared with the commissions received by brokers in the Futures market. This is partly due to the fact there is so much competition among brokers in the Forex market; some forex brokers even offer commission-free Forex trading from the get-go.

Also, the Forex market is largely unregulated and decentralized; as a result, there is less need for brokers who would demand commissions. One downside of currency futures is the dilemma of trading commissions and several other fees such as the clearing fees and exchange fees which the investors are required to pay.

Nevertheless, since retail traders often wish to trade forex in smaller amounts, transaction sizes can also be as small as a micro lot or 0. In addition, a mini lot size is also usually available at most brokers, which is 0. Minimum tick sizes are typically the same as in the Interbank forex market. Retail forex traders are generally only able to trade the currency pairs offered by their broker.

If their broker does not offer cross trading in the cross currency pairs they desire directly, they will need to execute two transactions using the U.

Dollar pair for each currency to establish the desired cross currency position. Many online brokers do not offer pricing in exotic currencies. Currency futures contracts generally have set trading amounts or lots that vary among the specific currency pairs available for trading on a particular exchange for delivery on standardized dates, usually quarterly.

In addition, exchange rates for the currency pairs can vary by a minimum amount known as a tick size. Table 1: CME currency future pairs, lot sizes, lot currency, quotation conventions and tick sizes as of June The Interbank forex market remains a generally unregulated over the counter market that operates between financial institutions and their clients that can be situated in different legal jurisdictions.

Participants in this market are typically finance professionals who are not seen as requiring regulation to protect. Nevertheless, this lack of regulation and transparency means quotes given to clients by market makers and dealing desks can be substantially different from the exchange rate levels actually prevailing in the professional forex market.

Some steps have been taken in recent years to regulate transactions by retail forex traders made via the online forex brokers that operate over the Internet. This was considered a necessary protection due to the fact that these brokers are typically dealing with the general public who may not have acquired professional expertise. Such regulation has thus far targeted things like prohibiting hedged trading and reducing high leverage ratios.

Despite exceptions of that type, this growing currency market still remains relatively unregulated outside of jurisdictions like the United States where such protective regulations have been enacted.

Some online forex brokers refuse to accept potential clients residing in regulated jurisdictions. In contrast, trading in the currency futures markets takes place on an exchange that is generally highly regulated by a financial regulatory body within the country it is located in.

This means that dealing exchange rates and quotations all need to be in line with the current market, in which pricing is fully transparent both to clients and market makers.

Currency futures trading volumes are also recorded and can be reviewed to provide positioning data to analysts. The COT or Commitment of Traders report produced each Friday by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission or CFTC is an especially popular market sentiment tool for forex traders that lists outstanding currency futures by trader type. Currency Futures Versus Spot Forex — Other Considerations:. Traders or hedgers who need to trade exact amounts might do better trading the spot forex market with Interbank counterparties or trading micro lots via an online forex broker than with futures contracts.

Basically, if precise amounts of currency are required for a forex transaction, the fixed denomination of a futures contract or contracts may not suffice or it may exceed the amount required. Most Interbank and retail forex transactions are free of fees for a spot FX trade other than the quoted dealing spread. Nevertheless, all forex futures transactions involve additional costs, such as exchange fees and brokerage charges. Price differentials between the spot and futures markets may offer a quick currency trader some modest arbitrage opportunities.

Of course, they do need to remember to add or subtract the swap points for the futures contract delivery date to the forex spot rate in order to compute a comparable exchange rate between the markets. Though there has been a distinct shift towards regulation of the spot forex market globally, these markets are still less regulated than currency futures. Unlike currency futures and stocks, spot forex is offered OTC or over the counter by broker dealers all over the world.

That is, spot forex is traded off exchange in a decentralized fashion. This means there is a lot more competition in the forex market, barriers to entry are miniscule and regulatory arbitrage opportunities are abundant for traders with tough local restrictions. Currency futures on the other hand have just a fraction of the daily volume with a lot of this feeding back into the spot market in one way or another. As currency futures are a forex derivative, the currency futures market will always be smaller than the underlying market by its very nature.

Having said that, popular currency futures contracts will always be relatively liquid and likely more so than a lot of local stocks. Spot forex brokers often offer up to leverage and some less scrupulous brokers have been known to offer leverage in the thousands.

Leverage is a double edged sword in trading, magnifying both gains and losses, but some strategies such as scalping do require large amounts of leverage in order to place trades with desired risk:reward parameters. If you are scalping forex with 5 pip stops then the highly leveraged spot market is definitely the way to go. Currency futures contracts will always have a commission charge associated with them as well as a spread.

Getting a handle on the terminology involved in financial trading can be confusing, but it's important for traders who need to understand the instruments they may wish to trade and their potential. The terms forex and futures are among the terms commonly used by participants in financial markets. They may be heard spoken in reference to the same or varying contexts, so traders will want to have a clear understanding of what each represents.

What Is Forex And The Forex Market? Anyone who has traveled or bought and sold goods abroad will have an awareness of foreign currencies and their differing values. Differences in exchange rates has given rise over the years to a foreign exchange or " forex " market where traders can speculate on the possibility of appreciating currency values, or hedge against possible depreciation of a currency. Over the years, the forex market has grown into the world's largest financial venue.

How Does Forex Work? Unlike in the past, when someone who wanted to buy and sell currency might have to go to a currency exchange operator or a major international bank, traders nowadays can open a currency trading account through a forex brokerage or full-service financial brokerage.

For the retail trader, it's become popular and more common to utilise the services of licensed and regulated forex brokers. When trading forex, there are a few items to be aware of. First, currencies are traded in pairs, meaning that if you are buying one, you are simultaneously selling another.

On the forex market, traders can buy and sell pairs from countries all around the world, and the pairs don't need to include the currency in which their main forex account is denominated. Why Trade with FXCM Commission free with fast, efficient execution. Start Trading Today. For example, someone holding an account in British pounds GBP could buy American dollars USD while simultaneously selling euros EUR. The transaction is facilitated by the forex broker, with profits and losses being the responsibility of the trader.

Some currencies are known as "majors," meaning they are more commonly traded and customarily have liquid trading. Other currencies are known as "minors" or "exotics," but many can be traded against each other through cross pairings with majors. Retail forex is a lightly regulated, over-the-counter market, where parties trade directly with each other or through brokers.

Some brokers will allow trades in sizes as small as micro lots of 1, currency units, or nano lots of currency units. The reduced position sizes are attractive to many forex day traders who aim to limit risk in the pursuit of reward. What Are Futures? Futures are a derivative trading instrument, meaning their value is based on the value of another asset known as the "underlying" asset. Accordingly, futures trading is conducted on margin, furnishing the trader with the ability to leverage risk capital.

Like other "derivative" investments, future are traded through contracts. And as their name implies, they are contracts whose price is determined according to an estimated future value of the underlying asset. Unlike forex, futures are normally traded on organised exchanges. As a result, all futures market transactions are executed at the exchange and finalised through a regulated clearinghouse. Futures first evolved from trading in the commodities markets in the 19th century, when farmers sought to guarantee a future sale price for their goods.

How Do Futures Work? Each futures contract comes with an expiration date. One party in the contract agrees to buy a given amount of given asset and take delivery of it on pre-defined date, while the other party agrees to sell it on that date at the agreed-upon price. Futures contracts are typically scheduled to have expirations four or more times per year. After their initial purchase, the contracts can be further bought and sold on the secondary market until expiration.

Upon a contract reaching its expiration, it comes off-the-board and is no longer listed for trade on the futures market. This is a key difference to be aware of in the forex vs futures comparison. Futures contracts are frequently sought by "hedgers," who wish to guarantee they will receive a given price for an asset at a future date.

The counterparties to the contracts are "speculators" who hope to buy an asset at a future date for a price that is lower than the price agreed to in the contract.

In most cases, active day traders operate as speculators, trading futures in the pursuit of short-term profits. Traditionally, when futures were bought and sold, the seller agreed to make delivery, and the buyer agreed to take delivery of the underlying asset when the contract expired. However, except for occasional physical deliveries on some commodities-related contracts, most futures deals nowadays have cash settlements after expiration.

A few examples of cash-settled futures contracts are equity index and currency futures. Futures vs Forex: Key Differences. The forex and futures markets are two unique atmospheres. Although both markets facilitate the trade of derivative products, the futures vs forex contrast is significant. The forex is an over-the-counter OTC market and futures are traded on formal exchanges. Futures contracts have finite expiration dates, while forex pairs may be traded into perpetuity.

Spot forex values are determined with respect to other currencies, while futures products are independently priced. The final key difference in the forex vs futures matchup is leverage.

Typically, forex pairs are traded with much higher leverage than futures contracts. Despite their nuances, both markets are attractive venues for the implementation of day trading strategies. Also, market liquidity varies from product to product, which can impact slippage rates on both spot forex and futures trades. Pros And Cons Of Forex. As entrants in the world's largest financial venue, forex market participants enjoy a collection of trade-related benefits.

Some of the biggest are optimal liquidity, extended trading hours, reduced costs and carry trade opportunities. In these areas, the forex vs stock market or futures market arguments are won by the forex.

On the other hand, the forex does have some drawbacks. It's an OTC market that has no centralised regulator or authority. Because of central bank and government intervention, extreme volatility can arise quickly. While this may be ideal for some day trading strategies, it can be detrimental to multi-day or swing methodologies. Lastly, the availability of high degrees of leverage can exponentially magnify risk exposure.

It's not uncommon to see available forex leverage upwards of ; this is vastly larger than found in other modes of trade such as the stock market. Pros And Cons Of Futures. The futures markets attract participants of all kinds, including forex and stock traders.

The primary reasons for this is increased volatility, diversity of trading options and the availability of leverage. When trading futures, you are to apply leverage toward asset classes such as commodities, equities, bonds and currencies.

Given this functionality, traders and investors are free to pursue their financial objectives in a regulated, formal exchange atmosphere.

Conversely, the futures markets are renowned for their unpredictability. In fact, the table of contents in any book regarding futures trading has a chapter that deals with surprise volatility. Another key drawback of futures is their complexity. Each contract features specific pricing, trading hours, expiration date and quantity specifications.

These factors, as well as countless other technical and fundamental issues, must all be accounted for by anyone active in futures trading. If one is keeping score in the stock or forex vs futures matchup, market complexity is a major drawback for futures. Futures vs Forex Summary Futures Pros Futures Cons Consistent volatility Periods of extreme volatility Wide-range of asset classes Complex specifications Exchange-traded, regulated Limited leverage compared to other tradable instruments e.

forex, CFDs Forex Pros Forex Cons Enhanced leverage Periods of extreme volatility Products are user-friendly and straightforward to trade Enhanced leverage can lead to significant loss Consistent liquidity OTC-traded, lightly regulated What are Forex Futures? As with other types of underlying assets, futures can be used to trade forex. In fact, many retail and institutional traders actively engage the currency futures markets.

Forex futures operate on the same principle as other kinds of futures. In this trading, the two parties to the deal will enter a contract to trade one currency for another for a given price on a pre-established future date.

Their prices are calculated by taking into account the carrying costs for the borrowing and purchase of the target currency over the life of the contract as well as the possible investment earnings of the base currency.

In addition to day trading or taking speculative positions, another special use traders may find for futures is to "hedge," or offset, the risk of positions taken in the spot currency market. Some of the major exchanges where forex futures are traded include the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Intercontinental Exchange and the Eurex exchange.

Forex futures contract sizes vary according to the value of the currency. Should You Trade Forex Or Futures? However, through a bit of due diligence, you can make an informed, strong decision.

It's important to remember that forex and futures trading each have unique attributes that can make them useful and profitable depending on traders' short- and long-term financial goals. No matter if you're a scalper, day trader, or swing trader, both markets are viable targets.

Of course, it is important to first evaluate your location, resources, and expertise. In doing so, you'll be able to narrow down the types of assets that you are best suited to trade. In reality, forex trading may be more accessible for beginning traders, because it requires a smaller amount of initial capital and a limited exposure to long-term risk. On the other hand, futures trading is a more complex undertaking that involves understanding an array of seemingly abstract factors.

Items such as contract expiry and different margin requirements are a few that come to mind. Nonetheless, the two types of financial trades can be used simultaneously to an advantage, especially by more experienced traders who have become familiarised with the characteristics of each. Articles published by FXCM Research Team generally have numerous contributors and aim to provide general Educational and Informative content on Market News and Products.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA is one of the oldest and probably best-known stock indexes in the world. It is composed of 30 U. Four of the 10 largest U. companies ranked by market capitalisation were members of the DJIA as of 8 June

Forex trading is challenging and can present adverse conditions, but it also offers traders access to a large, liquid market with opportunities for gains. In this post, I will discuss the six key differences between futures and forex markets. Foreign exchange trading is the trading of currencies in the spot markets. Currency futures contracts generally have set trading amounts or lots that vary among the specific currency pairs available for trading on a particular exchange for delivery on standardized dates, usually quarterly. As with other types of underlying assets, futures can be used to trade forex. The primary reasons for this is increased volatility, diversity of trading options and the availability of leverage.

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