How To Buy Gold Futures Contract
Gold is one of the most valuable precious metals in the world. It has been used as money and a medium of exchange since the dawn of humanity. Every religion and every country in history has something to do with gold.
Your gold is not something you can physically enjoy, but it is something you can observe, and your subconscious will be thrilled with the thought of owning gold as a precious metal. The precious gold metal does not corrode and absorbs light, giving it brilliance.
Most people are drawn to gold as a valuable metal because it plays an important role in the economy and society. Government reserve banks keep gold bars to keep the money flowing. Physical gold is usually a greater part of the money and investing because it is mostly utilized as a backup.
And it is for this reason people have long sought methods to invest in gold. Physical gold is the greatest way to invest in gold. You may buy gold bullion-like bars and coins, or you can buy gold jewelry. However, when it comes to financial concerns, gold bullion is the first word that comes to mind.
You must spend a large sum of money with actual gold all at once. Again, the spot price of gold determines its pricing. However, if various challenges arise, the price of gold will fluctuate over time. This is why individuals seek alternate methods of investing in gold. Paper gold or gold-backed assets have been popular for several decades.
You will be able to invest in gold with some backed-up materials and receive some contribution up to it here. And it is at this point that gold futures contracts come into play. Gold futures contracts have been in use for some time and are bought and swapped in ordinary transactions as if you are to sell gold, similar to equities, mining stocks, and gold ETF.
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Gold futures are standardized. Contracts or agreements that the seller and buyer confirm with a future date are included and at a predetermined future price. The transaction is usually done with gold at a predetermined price.
Gold futures contracts are included in the investment list to work the same way as physical gold, which mostly works as a hedge during economic volatility. Gold futures are an alternative to the classic investment of physical gold. And most of the gold here comes without the disadvantages of physical gold, which are storage and insurance fees. And if you’re buying from a third party, you might have to include brokerage fees and shipping fees.
Gold as a yellow metal and physical commodity are often considered a safe haven against economic instability and inflation. This will provide stability to your current investment; gold investments are even recommended for individual retirement accounts or IRAs. Gold futures are easy to liquidate, and it is pretty easy to be taken care of. Gold futures contract transactions are simplified so that everyone can accept them.
The amount and price are predetermined with gold futures, but the settlement date is also fixed. So you’ll not be paying and getting the gold delivery later. When the actual transaction happens, the settlement date is three months earlier than the agreed day.
The delay time is for the traders to decide on the metals, if they want to sell or if they want to buy the gold. The transaction will keep going until the day of settlement, and they only think of their gains and losses on the day rather than other facts. Thus, gold futures contracts will allow you to trade in a larger sum with a large amount of money on the go.
If you’re looking to day trade, you need to have an amount in your wallet to start. But the amount will solely depend on your broker firm. Again, you will need enough money to accommodate the potential losses.
With GC contracts, you will need 2000 dollars in your account and enough to compensate for the losses that the trade might face. The amount required is called “intra-day margin,” depending on the broker.
Gold Futures Trade Market
With gold futures, you’re not placing your hands on physical gold, but rather the transactions are done with electronic proof, and profits and losses are mentioned on the account monitor with the spot gold price. Future contract markets are not like bullion markets, but here you possess the metals you don’t physically own, like London Metal Exchange, New York Mercantile Exchange COMEX, etc.
The traders close all the trades daily in the futures exchange, and the profit or losses are determined by the selling and buying prices. COMEX is the primary exchange where gold futures contracts are traded. There are two types of gold futures:
- Standard gold futures (GC) are
- Microgold Futures (MGC)
Standard gold contracts are traded with 100 troy ounces of gold with market participants
And micro gold furniture is traded with ten troy ounces of gold.
Tick Value
In future exchanges, gold moves with a 0.10 USD increment. A tick is the smallest movement of a futures contract, which determines whether you’re going for profit or loss, and you’ll need the tick value to calculate profit and loss.
For standard gold futures,
100 ounces of gold×$.10=$10, here one tick will be ten dollars profit or loss.
For micro gold futures,
10 ounces of gold × $.10= $1. Here one tick will be one dollar profit or loss.
Gold Futures Margin
If you’re going to delay the settlement date, you’ll need a margin, where the most important part of trading gold futures lies. When margin is bought on, then it can make the other party nervous regarding the fall or rise of the gold price. When margin is in place, the buyer and seller are both skeptical regarding the other party, as the buyer will move out if the gold price has sunken, and the seller will walk out if the gold price rises.
The margin is mostly a down payment which will let either party not move out and is maintained by a central clearer. If you start a trade on gold futures, you might have to pay the margin amount, and the value will depend on gold’s spot price. It can be up to 20%.
- The amount required by the broker to start the day’s margin is called the intraday margin.
- You’ll need an initial margin if you’re holding your position for the night.
- For overnight margin, the maintenance margin is in place.
- If the gold prices fall, you have to pay more than what you initially decided. That is called “topping the margin.”
Gold Futures Trading
If you’re up for investing in gold futures, there are some primary paths that you have to consider before taking a step into gold futures trading. Gold futures will provide extensive leverage if the trading is at the correct level. Most traders do not understand the price fluctuations and fail to learn the changes a trade can make.
Movement of Gold
Once you start trading gold futures contracts, you will better understand the facts that can move the price of gold. And also, keep a tab on these items. Gold reacts only to some of the critical facts, which are pretty obvious. They are:
- Inflation
- Deflation
- Greed
- Supply and demand
- Gold Miners
- Interest rate
- Global crisis
- Fear
If one of these facts takes a turn, the price of gold and other precious metals can change dramatically. The best example was when Russia attacked Ukraine at the beginning of 2022, and the price of gold fell miserably.
Traders
The traders are the next best thing to consider while placing your bet. Gold bugs which are here with physical bullion and allocating a huge amount of gold on the list, are long-term traders and are mostly unaffected by the downturns in the gold price. But the rest is retail traders who only include a few forward funds.
Gold bugs will add more liquidity value while keeping their futures and stocks in a standing position. And then there are the short-term traders who are just here for a quick buck. Lastly, institutional investors use the risk-on and risk strategy to play the game even with a futures broker.
Physical Gold Charts
If you’re to understand the fluctuations and rising prices in gold prices, we recommend looking at the long-term charts of gold. And by “long term,” we mean 100 years of gold prices, and most charts validate a trend that has been on for years. The price of gold futures must be monitored, and any information on what caused the price changes with contents expand the table. Once you understand that, it’ll be easy to predict.
When the Federal Reserve Monetary Services removed the gold standard from dollars due to inflation and crude oil prices, the value of gold fell, and it lost around sixteen hundred dollars per ounce.
Trading Exchange
Lastly, you have to consider the place you’re choosing to trade. The liquidity value will follow the gold trend, and global facts will affect the gold trend. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange or CME Group is the most common gold trading exchange. The primary gold contracts are the 100-ounce, 50-ounce mini, and 10-ounce micro contracts.
Another thing to determine the price of gold contracts is the participants. Then participants do not show the charisma of a heavy one. For example, SPDR Gold Trust Shares (GLD) outperforms gold futures in almost every market, with an average daily volume of around 13.56 million dollars.
Gold Futures Contracts: Benefits and Risks
Gold futures come with perks and disappointments, and here we include some points.
Rewards
Here are the rewards of investing in gold futures.
Flexibility
As a trader, you have the full right to determine when and how to pay, and you’ll not be paying until the day of the trade.
Gold Leverage
Gold leverage is often known as gold gearing. For example, if you own a hundred dollars, you can buy gold bullion worth a hundred dollars. But you can buy ten thousand dollars worth of gold futures with gold futures. Because with a 1% margin, you will pay only a few hundred dollars. But if the gold prices fall, you have to pay for that ten thousand dollars worth of bullion, and the whole deal will be a disaster.
Tracking and Managing
All the trades are followed up electronically with the market, and the prices of the futures contracts are updated regularly. Thus, you only have to see the prices rather than work on them. Again, you’re not dealing with real gold, so you need storage or insurance fees for the occasion.
Risks
The risks are:
Hidden Financing Charges
If you think purchasing gold futures will save you the trouble of financing in real gold, then you’re wrong. The mechanics of the future price depend on the spot price of gold. So you have to know the arithmetic value of the whole thing, and it will seem like a mystery to you.
The Volatility of the Gold Market
The gold futures market is volatile and can change frequently and dramatically. An investor can lose a large sum of money at once, and it can rack up a massive debt on your part with faulty trading.
Conclusion
Gold futures include many characteristics, such as stop loss and systematic losses. Aside from all of these facts and terminology, this is a terrific technique to invest in gold bullion because it does not require a large sum. Gold Futures Contracts will also enable you to diversify your investment portfolio simultaneously.
About Arthur Karter
Hi, I’m Arthur, and nobody wants to wake up in their 50s like me that they are in serious debt with minimal assets. This wake-up call forced me to reevaluate everything. After going through the school of Hard Knocks, I’m ready to help you by sharing the best retirement choices and how they differ from all the same-old, same-old options that financial advisors sell. These alternatives will help you build and protect your wealth.
