📘 Lesson 1: What is Futures Trading?

“Wait, what exactly is futures trading?”

If you’re new to trading, you’ve probably heard the word “futures” and thought… futures of what, exactly?

Well, it’s simple. Futures trading means agreeing to buy or sell something at a set price on a future date.

Let’s say you believe gold will go up next week. Today, it’s $2,300 per ounce. You open a “buy” futures position. If gold rises to $2,350? You profit $50 per ounce. If it drops? You lose.

You’re not buying the actual gold. You’re trading a contract based on gold’s price.

Why do people trade futures?

• To make profits on price moves (that’s us, the traders!)
• To hedge price risk (like airlines protecting against oil price surges)

Futures are used for all kinds of assets: indices (like Nasdaq), gold, oil, forex, and even crypto.

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📘 Lesson 2: Who Trades Futures?

“Isn’t this just for Wall Street guys?”

Not at all. In fact, most futures traders today are retail traders — just like you and me.

Here’s who’s trading:

• Retail traders (individuals using platforms like MT5, TradingView, etc.)
• Hedge funds and institutional traders
• Businesses that need to hedge — airlines, exporters, importers
• Speculators who never intend to “buy” anything but just trade the price moves

What makes futures attractive?

• Leverage: You can control a large position with a small deposit
• Liquidity: Futures markets are huge, especially Nasdaq, gold, and oil
• Flexibility: You can go long or short easily

Yes, it’s more advanced than just buying Bitcoin on an app — but once you learn the basics, you’re in the game.

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📘 Lesson 3: What Can You Trade in Futures?

“So… what’s actually available to trade?”

A lot! Futures aren’t limited to stocks. Here’s what’s popular:

Asset Type	Examples
Indices	Nasdaq, S&P 500, Dow Jones, DAX
Commodities	Gold, Silver, Crude Oil, Natural Gas
Forex	EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, etc.
Crypto	Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana (on crypto futures exchanges)

Each market has its own behavior.

• Nasdaq moves fast — tech stocks influence it.
• Gold often reacts to inflation and fear.
• Oil follows supply/demand and geopolitical events.
• Forex is driven by interest rates and central banks.

Later, we’ll learn how to choose what to trade based on your style.