Futures 101

From the preface: 'I wrote Futures 101 out of frustration. I was frustrated when I first traded futures because I could not find a beginner's book that explained trading in a way that I understood. Later, after some years of learning by trial and error, I remembered those earlier frustrating searches, did more background checks, and decided to write an introductory book myself. My intent was to answer basic questions, fill in some gaps, give examples, and expand explanations so that they do not look like a glossary list. Financial books can be boring so I also decided to include trivia and comments to keep readers from falling asleep. And a conscious effort was made to be impartial about the pros and cons of commodity trading - which was easy because I am not affiliated with anyone in the commodity industry and have no bias for or against trading. Basically, Futures 101 does not tell you how to get rich by trading commodity futures, nor does it tell you to keep away from them. It just tells you how it all started hundreds of years ago, how it all works today, and explains many subjects with examples - using a light touch. You don't have to be a commodity trader or plan to be one to learn from Futures 101; you may just be financially curious to find our some basics. Whatever your interest, the subject is important because price movements in futures affect us all. Besides, learning how the trillions of dollars move around annually can be quite interesting.