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Futures are a leverage game: they amplify gains, and they amplify destruction. This chapter walks from contract elements
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01 · Futures Basics: What a Contract Is
Next lesson · 03 · Futures
Futures are a leverage game: they amplify gains, and they amplify destruction. This chapter walks from contract elements through the forced-liquidation machine, then from delivery rules through a full product encyclopedia and practical strategies — so that before you touch real money, you first see through the underlying logic of the rules.
Futures are standardized forward contracts with clearly defined contract elements, trading hours, and delivery rules. This article explains the essence of futures, their origin (starting with grain spot hedging in Chicago in 1848), the eight contract elements, the complete flow from account opening to position closing, and the product landscape of China's five futures exchanges, plus a futures vs. stocks comparison table.
Article 02 on margin and forced liquidation is the most important read in this chapter — mandatory for any beginner before their first trade. It explains the margin system (initial/maintenance), leverage multiple calculations, mark-to-market and floating P&L, the trigger conditions of forced liquidation (blow-ups), margin calls and negative-balance blow-throughs, and uses concrete numbers — such as 10x leverage being wiped out by a 10% adverse move — to show the mathematical inevitability that "the higher the leverage, the faster you die".
Futures expire. This article explains the difference between physical delivery and cash settlement, the liquidity traps of holding positions in the delivery month, how the dominant contract forms, the basis gaps when rolling positions, and how retail investors should choose contract months and execute rollovers.
Organized into eight sectors — financial futures, precious metals, non-ferrous metals, ferrous products, energy and chemicals, agricultural products, soft commodities, and FX & rates — it covers 25+ products with their contract codes, exchanges, contract multipliers, tick sizes, reference margin rates, price drivers, and suitable audiences. A quick-reference handbook for the futures chapter.
From hedging spot risk (farmers selling soybeans, airlines locking fuel prices), to cash-futures arbitrage, calendar spreads, and inter-commodity spreads, then on to trend following, intraday scalping, and algorithmic trading — each explained with its principle, suitable audience, and risk points.
OTC derivatives have no exchange backstop; everything rests on contracts and counterparty credit. This article explains the exchange vs. OTC comparison (standardization/central clearing/regulatory transparency), forwards (corporate FX hedging, counterparty default risk), swaps (a worked interest-rate swap example, currency swaps, commodity swaps, and the role of CDS in the 2008 crisis), OTC and exotic options (binary options scam warnings), structured products (snowball knock-in/knock-out terms, the truth about structured deposits), and finally draws the boundary of what ordinary people should touch.
An option is "paying a premium to buy the right to choose"; when the underlying is a futures contract, it is a futures option. This article covers futures option mechanics (exercise delivers a futures position), the comparison with stock options and crypto options, option products on China's four commodity exchanges (soybean meal, corn, sugar, cotton, copper, gold, crude oil, etc.), the characteristics of commodity options (seller margin, farmers buying puts to lock prices vs. futures hedging), the seasonality of commodity IV, hands-on buyer and seller strategies and common ways to die, and the tiered entry thresholds of RMB 100k/500k.
After finishing this chapter, you should be able to answer:
⚠️ Risk Warning: Futures are margin trading with high leverage; losses may exceed your principal (after a negative-balance blow-through, the debt must be repaid). This chapter is for education only and does not constitute investment advice; contract specifications are always subject to the latest exchange rules. Please fully understand Article 02, "Margin, Leverage & Forced Liquidation", before considering any live trading.
期货篇 · 随堂测
3 concept questions · instant grading
An introduction to futures contracts — what futures are, their historical origins, the eight contract elements, the trading process, domestic futures exchanges, and a full futures vs. stocks comparison
Margin, leverage, and forced liquidation in futures explained — the margin system, leverage multiples, mark-to-market, liquidation mechanics, margin calls, negative-balance blow-throughs, and a beginner risk-control checklist
Futures delivery and rollover — physical vs. cash delivery, delivery-month risks, how the dominant contract forms and positions roll, basis gaps at rollover, and how to choose contract months
A futures product encyclopedia — 25+ mainstream products across eight sectors with contract codes, exchanges, trading units, margin rates, price drivers, and suitable audiences
Futures trading strategies explained — hedging, cash-futures arbitrage, calendar and inter-commodity spreads, trend following, intraday scalping, and algorithmic trading
OTC derivatives explained — forwards, swaps, exotic OTC options, structured products and snowballs; see the real risks behind tailor-made contracts
Futures options and commodity options — mechanics, domestic products, volatility traits, hands-on buyer and seller strategies, option pricing Greeks, and common ways to die
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05 · Crypto Perpetuals
Crypto derivatives are the world's hottest — and most brutal — casino: 24/7 trading, 100x leverage, funding rates, wick-