A cash commodity must meet three basic conditions to be successfully traded in the futures market:
It has to be standardized and, for agricultural and industrial commodities, must be in a basic, raw, unprocessed state. There are futures contracts on wheat, but not on flour. Wheat is wheat (although different types of wheat have different futures contracts). The miller who needs a wheat futures to help him avoid losing money on his flour transactions with customers wouldn't need a flour futures. A given amount of wheat yields a given amount of flour and the cost of converting wheat to flour is fairly fixed. hence predictable.
Perishable commodities must have an adequate shelf life, because delivery on a futures contract is deferred.
The cash commodity's price must fluctuate enough to create uncertainty, which means both risk and potential profit.
All market data is provided by Barchart Solutions. Futures: at least 10 minute delayed. Information is provided "as is" and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice.
To see all exchange delays and terms of use, please see disclaimer.
