Glossary

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Arbitrage: Arbitrage is the simultaneous purchase and sale of similar commodities in different markets to take advantage of a price discrepancy. In more detail, Arbitrage is a strategy that involves the simultaneous purchase and sale of identical or equivalent commodity futures contracts or other instruments across two or more markets in order to benefit from a discrepancy in their price relationship. In a theoretical efficient market, there is a lack of opportunity for profitable arbitrage.

Board of Trade: Any organized exchange or other trading facility for the trading of futures and/or option contracts.

Clearing Member: Clearing member is a member of an exchange clearinghouse responsible for the financial commitments of its customers (a member of clearing organisation). All trades of a non-clearing member must be registered, processed and eventually settled through a clearing member.

Close: Close is the exchange-designated period at the end of the trading session during which all transactions are considered made "at the close."

Commodity: A commodity, as defined in the Commodity Exchange Act, includes the agricultural commodities enumerated in Section 1a(4) of the Commodity Exchange Act, 7 USC 1a(4), and all other goods and articles, except onions as provided in Public Law 85-839 (7 USC 13-1), a 1958 law that banned futures trading in onions, and all services, rights, and interests in which contracts for future delivery are presently or in the future dealt in.

Contract: Contract is a term of reference describing a unit of trading for a commodity future or option. At the same time contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specified commodity, detailing the amount and grade of the product and the date on which the contract will mature and become deliverable.

Exchange: A central marketplace with established rules and regulations where buyers and sellers meet to trade futures and options contracts or securities. Exchanges include designated contract markets and derivatives transaction execution facilities.

Futures: Futures (also called Futures Contract) is a legally binding agreement to buy or sell a commodity or financial instrument at a later date. Futures contracts are normally standardized according to the quality, quantity, delivery time and location for each commodity, with price as the only variable.

Liquidity: Liquidity (Liquid Market) is a characteristic of a security or commodity market with enough units outstanding and enough buyers and sellers to allow large transactions without a substantial change in price.

Mini: Mini (e-Mini) refers to a futures contract that has a smaller contract size than an otherwise identical futures contract.

Open: Open is the period at the beginning of the trading session officially designated by the exchange during which all transactions are considered made "at the open."

Open Outcry: Open Outcry is a method of public auction for making bids and offers in the trading pits of futures exchanges. Open Outcry is common to most U.S. commodity exchanges, where trading occurs on a trading floor and traders may bid and offer simultaneously either for their own accounts or for the accounts of customers. Transactions may take place simultaneously at different places in the trading pit or ring. At most exchanges outside the U.S., open outcry has been replaced by electronic trading platforms.

Spread: Spread (Also referred to as Straddle) is the purchase of one futures delivery month against the sale of another futures delivery month of the same commodity; the purchase of one delivery month of one commodity against the sale of that same delivery month of a different commodity; or the purchase of one commodity in one market against the sale of the commodity in another market, to take advantage of a profit from a change in price relationships. The term spread is also used to refer to the difference between the price of a futures month and the price of another month of the same commodity. A spread can also apply to options.

A spread is the simultaneous purchase and sale of the same or similar commodity, in different or the same contract months. Spread trading is usually considered to be a lower risk strategy than an outright long or short futures position, and therefore margin requirements are usually less.

Not only can spreads be utilized in futures markets, but options provide even more opportunities for successful spread trading. With so many variables including strike prices, trading months, and different markets available, the permutations and combinations of option strategies are tremendous.

Some of the advantages of spreads are:
 - require smaller margin deposits;
 - lower risk
 - seasonal patterns exist among spread relationships.

Transaction: Transaction is an entry or liquidation of a trade.

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