how do you trade index futures 
you must open an account with a brokerage firm to trade index futures once your account is open choose the index you want to trade and decide whether to go long you believe the price will increase or short you think the price will decrease keep an eye on your contract as it nears the expiration date can index futures be used to predict market performance index futures are generally considered an educated wager not a predictor traders who invest in equity index futures speculate on the index moving in a particular direction investors who take long positions speculate that the index s price will increase while those who take short positions bet that the price will drop various factors can move markets which means they can go in any direction though some directions are more likely than others as such the market has no fail safe predictors including index futures only enter into futures once you ve gained ample experience in the market and never invest more than you can afford to lose 