how can i trade futures 
depending on your broker and your account status with that broker you may be eligible to trade futures you will require a margin account and be approved to do so qualified traders in the u s will often have the ability to trade futures on different exchanges such as the chicago mercantile exchange cme ice futures u s intercontinental exchange and the cboe futures exchange cfe futures contracts play an important role in the smooth operations of the commodities market they allow buyers and sellers to lock in prices in advance and help farmers miners manufacturers and other market participants to work without having to worry about daily changes in the market the prices of futures are affected by interest rate changes and dividend payments 