What are futures?

In the past, if someone said futures contract, you’d probably have drawn a blank look. That’s not the case any longer, especially since these were introduced in stocks and indices in the year 2000. Since then, `futures’ – as these contracts are known in stocks – are becoming increasingly popular among retail investors.

Of course, these aren’t restricted to stocks alone. They are used in multiple markets like agricultural commodities, currency and minerals, including wheat, oilseeds, cotton, gold, silver, petroleum, natural gas, shares, and so on.

What is a futures contract, and how does it work? Before we get to know what are futures, we must understand the concept of derivatives. A derivative is a contract based on the ‘derived value’ of an underlying asset.

Definition of a futures contract

A futures contract gives the buyer (or seller) the right to buy (or sell) a specific commodity at a specific price at a predetermined date in the future.

Let’s illustrate this with an example. Let’s say you work in a company making baked goods and want to purchase large amounts of wheat at frequent intervals. You will need 100 quintals a month down the line. However, wheat prices are volatile, and to protect yourself; you enter into this type of contract to purchase 100 quintals of wheat at Rs 2,000 a quintal a month down the line. In the meantime, wheat prices go up to Rs 2,500 a quintal. However, you will still be able to buy it at Rs 2,000. Thus, you would have saved Rs 50,000 because of this type of contract! However, if wheat prices fall to Rs 1,500, you would have lost Rs 50,000.

This is an example of someone who wants to hedge against an increase in prices. This is a prevalent form of hedging and is undertaken by large and small organisations as well as by governments. For example, a country that imports large amounts of petroleum will hedge against price rise by going in for oil futures. Similarly, a large chocolate maker will hedge against an increase in the prices of cocoa by going for cocoa futures.

Futures trading

However, futures contracts aren’t restricted to them alone. Speculators too are enthusiastic participants in the futures market. They can reap the benefit of movements of asset prices without having to purchase the underlying asset through futures trading.

If you want to make money by betting on wheat futures, you don’t have to take delivery of large quantities of the commodity. You don’t have to spend large amounts either since you don’t have to deal in the underlying asset.

Futures contracts enable you to trade large quantities. This is because to trade, all you need is to deposit an initial margin with the broker. For example, if the margin is 10 percent, if you want to buy and sell futures worth Rs 20 lakh, all you need to deposit is Rs 2 lakh.

Generally, margins in commodities are low so that traders can deal in massive amounts. This is called leverage and can be a double-edged sword. The opportunities for profits are enormous because of the large numbers involved. However, if you don’t get it right, the losses can be considerable indeed. When you make losses, you may get margin calls from brokers to meet the minimum requirement. If you don’t meet it, the broker can sell the underlying asset at a lower price to recover it, and you could end up with more losses.

It’s essential to understand what are futures before venturing into them. Commodity markets are especially risky since price movements are volatile and can be unpredictable. The high leverage also adds to the risk. Generally, the commodities markets are dominated by large institutional players who can deal with risk better.

Futures trading in the stock market

What are futures in the stock market? Like many other assets, you can also trade in futures contracts on the stock exchange. Derivatives made their debut in the Indian stock market a couple of decades ago, and since then have become popular with investors. You can get these contracts for specified securities as well as indices like Nifty 50 etc.

Prices of stock futures contracts depend on demand and supply of the underlying. Usually, stock futures prices are higher than that in the spot market for shares.

Here are some of the features of a futures contract in stocks:

Leverage: There is considerable scope for advantage. If the initial margin is 20 percent and you want to trade in Rs 50 lakh worth of futures, you need to pay only Rs 5 lakh. You can get exposure to a significant position with little capital. This increases your chances of making profits. However, your risks will also be higher.

There is considerable scope for advantage. If the initial margin is 20 percent and you want to trade in Rs 50 lakh worth of futures, you need to pay only Rs 5 lakh. You can get exposure to a significant position with little capital. This increases your chances of making profits. However, your risks will also be higher. Market lots: Futures contracts in shares are not sold for single shares but in market lots. For example, the value of these on individual stocks should not be less than Rs 5 lakh at the time of introduction for the first time at any exchange. Markets lots vary from stock to stock.

Futures contracts in shares are not sold for single shares but in market lots. For example, the value of these on individual stocks should not be less than Rs 5 lakh at the time of introduction for the first time at any exchange. Markets lots vary from stock to stock. Contract period: You can get these types of contracts for one, two and three months.

You can get these types of contracts for one, two and three months. Squaring up: You can square up your position till the expiry of the contract.

You can square up your position till the expiry of the contract. Expiry: All futures and options contracts expire on the last Thursday of the month. A three-month contract will then become one for two months, and a two-month contract turns into a single-month contract.

Trading in stock and index futures contract can be rewarding since you don’t need much capital as on the spot market. However, there is a danger of extending leverage too far and biting off more than you can chew. If you can stay within bounds, you can steer clear of the risks.

Conclusion

To conclude, futures contracts are an excellent way of hedging against future price increases in an asset. They are also useful for speculators since they can trade in large volumes without digging deep into their capital.

Frequently Asked Questions