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What is Oil Futures?

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Synopsis:

Crude oil is one of the most traded commodities in the world. However, it witnesses significant price fluctuations. Read more..This is where oil futures step in by allowing traders to protect themselves against price fluctuations in crude oil. That said, to trade in oil futures, market participants need a thorough understanding of not only the oil market but also the futures market. Moreover, since oil futures are leveraged contracts, they can amplify your profits but also magnify your losses. Read less


Crude oil futures are contracts that allow people to buy or sell crude oil on a future date at an already agreed-upon price. So, if you purchase an oil futures contract, you have the obligation to buy oil at a certain price on a future date. Conversely, if you sell oil futures, you are obligated to sell a certain quantity of oil at a predetermined price on a set date in the future. Such contracts help you hedge against price fluctuations in crude oil.

What is Oil Futures Investing?

Oil futures investing involves a buyer and a seller who sign a contract to buy/sell a certain quantity of crude oil on a future date at a predetermined price. They do not have to take the physical delivery of the underlying commodity, which is crude oil. Instead, they speculate about the direction of crude oil’s price. Based on their expectations, they participate in such contracts.

Crude Oil Futures Explained

An oil futures contract lets you buy or sell crude oil on a pre-decided date in the future at a predetermined price. Hence, such contracts allow you to lock-in the price of oil now. If you run an industry that needs crude oil as an input, you can buy an oil futures contract. Let us say that the contract requires you to purchase 1,000 barrels of oil at a price of ₹ 6,500 per barrel on August 1.

Even if the price of oil is ₹6,800 per barrel on August 1, you will still be able to buy oil at ₹6,500 per barrel, as you had bought a futures contract. So, you will earn ₹ 300 per barrel profit. However, if the price drops to ₹5,700 per barrel on August 1, you will incur a loss of ₹ 300 per barrel.

If a futures contract can make you incur a loss, why would you want to purchase it? Remember that the most important aspect of a futures contract is it helps you lock-in the price now. Regardless of what happens to the price in the future, you know at which price you will execute a transaction. This saves you from headache, which can be caused by price fluctuations.

How Does an Oil Futures Contract Operate?

If you want to understand how such contracts operate, you should learn about their contract specification, pricing, leverage, and settlement.

  1. Contract Specification: Oil futures contracts mention the quality and quantity of crude oil, which is the underlying commodity. A typical contract on the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) represents 1,000 barrels of crude oil. Apart from that, contract specifications include the expiration date.

  2. Pricing: On exchanges like the MCX, the price of oil futures is quoted in Indian Rupees per barrel. Market participants purchase or sell oil futures based on their expectations regarding how the price of oil will move in the future. Meanwhile, the price of crude oil is a function of supply-demand, geopolitics, and economic conditions.

  3. Leverage: Crude oil futures allow people to use leverage, which means that they can take a large position by paying a small margin. For example, if the price of crude oil is ₹ 6,000 per barrel and the contract size is 1,000 barrels, the contract’s value is ₹ 60 lakh. However, a trader may need to deposit only 5% of ₹ 60 lakh, which is ₹ 3 lakh to purchase the contract. That said, remember that if leverage can amplify your gains, it can also magnify your losses.

  4. Settlement: Buyers and sellers have to settle their positions when a contract expires. Settlement can be done either through physical delivery (wherein oil is actually delivered) or cash settlement (wherein the differential between the market price of crude oil and the contracted price is paid). In most cases, traders prefer cash settlement over physical delivery.

Advantages of Investing in Oil Futures

Oil futures offer many benefits to traders, which are explained below in detail:

  1. Help you protect against price fluctuations: When you buy an oil futures contract, you can lock-in the price now, thereby safeguarding yourself against any price fluctuations in the future.

  2. Offer sufficient liquidity: Crude oil is one of the most sought-after commodities in the world. Hence, with oil futures, you do not have to worry about liquidity. Whenever you want to exit from a position, you will likely find a counterparty. In other words, there is sufficient liquidity in this market.

  3. Make you take leveraged positions: Like other futures contracts, oil futures also help you take leveraged positions by making you deposit a tiny percentage of the contract’s value as a margin. But, bear in mind that the margin can multiply your profits and losses both. So, you need to be careful with it.

Executing Trades in Oil Futures 

The following steps explain how you can trade oil futures:

  • Choose a Broker: Firstly, you need to find a reliable broker who is registered with one of the commodity exchanges in India like the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) and the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX). Before opening an account for crude oil trading, you need to ensure that a broker offers an efficient trading system and a reasonable brokerage.

  •  Open an Account for Crude Oil Trading: After selecting a broker, you need to open a trading account with him. For that, you need to fill out a form and provide all the KYC documents required.

  • Fund Your Account: You need to deposit a margin with your broker to start taking positions. Typically, the margin is a small percentage of the contract’s value.

  • Analyse Market Conditions: You need to keep track of market conditions before taking a position. This will ensure that you take a position at the right time and at the right price.    

  • Placing Orders: Once you figure out the right price, you need to place an order. For that, you need to log into your trading account.

  • Monitor Your Positions: After placing an order, you need to monitor your position. If your initial margin decreases because the price starts moving in the wrong direction, you may be told to deposit a maintenance margin. 

How to Buy and Sell Oil Futures?

If you are wondering about the most common ways to trade oil futures, please read the following:

  • Buying Oil Futures Directly: If you want to trade oil futures, you can do so by trading through a broker registered with a commodity exchange. You will need a special account with your broker that allows you to trade in commodity futures. After opening the account, you will also have to deposit the margin to begin trading.

  • Buy and Sell Exchange-Traded-Funds (ETFs): If you do not want to decide for yourself when to buy or sell a futures contract, you can invest in an oil ETF, which tracks the movement in crude oil prices. In the case of an ETF, a fund manager decides when to buy or sell a contract.

Are Oil Futures Worth the Investment?

In case, you are thinking about whether oil futures are worth your investment, you need to read the following:

  1. Market Volatility: Oil futures help you hedge against fluctuations in oil prices, which can be caused by many factors like demand-supply mismatches, geopolitical issues, etc.

  2. Long-Term vs. Short-Term: For long-term investors, it is better to purchase oil stocks or invest in an oil ETF so that they can earn returns over a long period of time. But, for speculators who actively day trade, oil futures can offer trading opportunities. That said, speculation, by its very nature, is a risky strategy. Hence, unless you have a sound understanding of oil price movements, you should avoid it.

  3. Knowledge and Experience: To devise a successful trading strategy with oil futures, you need to have a profound understanding of all the trends affecting the oil market. If you are a new entrant, you should first develop knowledge and only then begin trading.

Conclusion

Oil futures can be an ideal way to hedge against price fluctuations. That said, before dealing in such contracts, you need to have a solid understanding of the oil market. Oil futures can be inherently risky even for experienced traders. Hence, new entrants should first focus on learning the fundamentals.

Besides, always remember that the price of crude oil is driven by global changes. Hence, you need to follow the oil market at the global level to trade oil futures.

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Disclaimer: Investments in the securities market are subject to market risk, read all related documents carefully before investing.

This content is for educational purposes only. Securities quoted are exemplary and not recommendatory.

For All Disclaimers Click Here: https://www.bajajbroking.in/disclaimer

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