Thu 13 Nov, 2008
· Futures are traded on organized exchanges with clearing associations that act as intermediaries between the contracting parties.
· Futures are highly standardized contracts that provide for the performance of the contract either through deferred delivery of an asset or a final cash settlement.
· Both the parties pay a margin to the clearing association. This is used as a performance bond by contracting parties. The margin paid is generally market to the market price every day.
· Each futures contract has an association month which represents the month of contract delivery or final settlement, for example-a September T-bill, a March Euro, A November Nifty futures, etc.,
Both the buyer and seller of a forward contract are bound to the price decided upfront.
As there is no performance guarantee in a forward contract, there is always counter party risk.