Futures traders are not swamis sitting in mystic shops gazing into crystal balls. They are traders who buy and sell commodities such as corn, wheat and soybeans that have not yet been planted, harvested or moved to market. It is the contract for these goods that is being sold- if the trade occurs after the crop is brought in out of the field it would be a commodities trade. Future traders make their money by making a contract with a farming outfit for a certain amount of a crop, at a specified grade, at a set time. If the farmer has surplus of his group after fulfilling his contractual obligations to the futures trader, then he can sell this to whomever he chooses.
Futures trading is about having a little bit of luck, but it is a lot more about having knowledge. To be a successful futures trader you must know a bit about the crop you deal with, the climate in the area that you are dealing with, and the predicted weather patterns for the growing season. There is no sense in investing a ton of money in corn, for instance, if a low season is expected because of repeated flooding. Know that futures trading is a risky venture, even under the best conditions, and that even if you look carefully at every factor, there are twists of fate that nobody can predict or prepare for. What if there is an infestation of parasites in the crop you just sunk your life savings into? Not only will that farmer not make contract, you will have just lost all of your trade capital to boot.
Futures trading is probably best left to the bigger traders and the speculators to deal with. Venture capital is becoming harder and harder to come by, and losing once in the futures market can spell the end of a trading career. It is hard to face, but sometimes it is better to stay out of the game then it is to lose your entire financial standings because of a freak storm or other tragedy.
If you insist on futures trading despite all of this then you must keep in mind that diversification might be the key to keeping your head above water when everyone else is sinking. Do not sink all of your money solely in corn for instance, if there is a chance that corn will perform badly this season. Split your trades between corn and soybeans evenly, or at a percentage that will allow you some degree of comfort if one of those should happen to falter on the open market.
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