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Futures markets have been described as continuous auction markets and as clearing houses for the latest information about supply and demand. They are the meeting places of buyers and sellers of an ever-expanding list of commodities that today includes agricultural products, metals, petroleum, financial instruments, foreign currencies, and stock indexes. Trading in options on futures contracts enables option buyers to participate in futures markets with known risks.
The first recorded evidence of futures trading is from Japan in the 1600s with rice, there is also some evidence that the Chinese were trading rice futures as long ago as 6,000 years! In the United States, futures trading started in the grain markets in the mid 1800s. The Chicago Board of Trade was established in 1848. In the 1870s and 1880s the New York Coffee, Cotton and Produce Exchanges were born. The Chicago Mercantile exchange was in founded in1898. Today there are ten commodity exchanges in the United States and major futures trading exchanges in over twenty countries.
The biggest increase in futures trading activity occurred in the 1970s and 1980s when futures on financial instruments such as currencies, interest rate instruments, and stock market indexes started trading in Chicago. Notwithstanding the rapid growth and diversification of futures markets, their primary purpose remains the same as it has been for nearly a century and a half, to provide an efficient and effective mechanism for the management of price risks. By buying or selling futures contracts - contracts that establish a price level now for items to be delivered later - individuals and businesses seek to achieve what amounts to insurance against adverse price changes. This is called hedging.
The volume of futures and options contracts traded on U.S exchanges has increased from 179 million in 1985 to well over a billion in 2006.
Other futures market participants are speculative investors who accept the risks that hedgers wish to avoid. Most speculators have no intention of making or taking delivery of the commodity, but rather seek to profit from a change in the price. That is, they buy when they anticipate rising prices and sell when they anticipate declining prices. The interaction of hedgers and speculators helps to provide active, liquid, and competitive markets. Speculative participation in futures trading has become increasingly attractive with the availability of alternative methods of participation. Whereas many futures traders continue to prefer to make their own trading decisions, such as what to buy and sell and when to buy and sell, others choose to utilize the services of a professional trading advisor to avoid day-to-day trading responsibilities by establishing a fully managed trading account or participating in a commodity pool which is similar in concept to a mutual fund.
For those individuals who fully understand and can afford the risks involved, the allocation of some portion of their capital to futures trading can provide a means of achieving greater diversification and a potentially higher overall rate of return on their investments. There are also a number of ways in which futures can be used in combination with stocks, bonds, and other investments.
Speculation in futures contracts, however, is clearly not appropriate for everyone. Just as it is possible to realize substantial profits in a short period of time, it is also possible to incur substantial losses in a short period of time. The possibility of large profits or losses in relation to the initial commitment of capital stems principally from the fact that futures trading is a highly leveraged form of speculation. Only a relatively small amount of money is required to control assets having a much greater value. The leverage of futures trading can work for you when prices move in the direction you anticipate or against you when prices move in the opposite direction.
It is not the purpose of this article to suggest that you should, or should not, participate in futures trading. That is a decision you should make only after consultation with your broker or financial advisor and in light of your own financial situation and objectives. This article is intended to help provide you with the information you should obtain and the questions you should ask in regard to any investment you are considering, such as:

• Information about the investment itself and the risks involved
• How readily your position can be liquidated when such action is necessary or desired
• Who the other market participants are
• Alternate methods of participation
• How prices are determined
• The costs of trading
• How gains and losses are realized
• What forms of regulation and protection exist
• The experience, integrity, and track record of your broker or advisor
• The financial stability of the firm with which you are dealing
• In sum, the information you need to be an informed investor