Gold and silver futures contracts can offer a hedge against inflation, a speculative play, an alternative investment class, or a commercial hedge for investors seeking opportunities outside of traditional equity and fixed-income securities.
In this article, we’ll cover the basics of gold and silver futures contracts and how they are traded, but be forewarned: Trading in this market involves substantial risk, which could be a larger factor than their upside return profiles.
Key Takeaways
- Investors looking to add gold and silver to their portfolio may want to consider futures contracts.
- With futures, you don’t need to actually hold physical metal, and you can leverage your purchasing power.
- Holding futures has no management fees that might be associated with exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds, and taxes are split between short-term and long-term capital gains.
- You will, however, need to roll your futures positions over as they expire; otherwise, you can expect delivery of physical gold.
What Are Precious Metals Futures Contracts?
A precious metals futures contract is a legally binding agreement for delivery of gold or silver at an agreed-upon price in the future. A futures exchange standardizes the contracts as to the quantity, quality, time, and place of delivery. Only the price is variable.
Hedgers use these contracts as a way to manage price risk on an expected purchase or sale of the physical metal. Futures also provide speculators with an opportunity to participate in the markets without any physical backing.
Two different positions can be taken:A long (buy) position is an obligation to accept delivery of the physical metal, while a short (sell) position is the obligation to make delivery. The great majority of futures contracts are offset before the delivery date. For example, this occurs when an investor with a long position initiates a short position in the same contract, effectively eliminating the original long position.
Advantages of Futures Contracts
Trading futures contracts offers more financial leverage, flexibility, and financial integrity than trading the commodities themselves, because they trade at centralized exchanges.
Financial leverage is the ability to trade and manage a high market value product with a fraction of the total value. Trading futures contracts is done with a performance margin, which requires considerably less capital than the physical market. The leverage provides speculators with a higher risk/higher return investment profile.
For example, one futures contract for gold controls 100 troy ounces, or one brick of gold. The dollar value of this contract is 100 times the market price for one ounce of gold. If the market is trading at $600 per ounce, then the value of the contract is $60,000 ($600 × 100 ounces). Based on exchange margin rules, the margin required to control one contract is only $4,050. So for $4,050, one can control $60,000 worth of gold. As an investor, this gives you the ability to leverage $1 to control roughly $15.
In the futures markets, it is just as easy to initiate a short position as a long position, giving participants a great amount of flexibility. This flexibility provides hedgers with an ability to protect their physical positions and speculators with an ability to take positions based on market expectations.
Gold and silver futures exchanges offer no counterparty risks to participants; this is ensured by the exchanges’ clearing services. The exchange acts as a buyer to every seller and vice versa, decreasing the risk should either party default on its responsibilities.
Futures Contract Specifications
One gold future available in the United States is COMEX. This is a 100-troy-ounce contract. NYSE Liffe offers a mini-contract (33.2 troy ounces).
Silver also has contracts trading at COMEX and NYSE Liffe. The contracts are for 5,000 ounces, and they are traded at both exchanges. COMEX also has an e-mini silver futures contract for 2,500 ounces.
Gold Futures
Gold is traded in dollars and cents per ounce. For example, when gold is trading at $600 per ounce, the contract has a value of $60,000 ($600 × 100 ounces). A trader who is long at $600 and sells at $610 will make $1,000 ($610 -$600 = $10 profit;$10 × 100 ounces = $1,000). Conversely, a trader who is long at $600 and sells at $590 will lose $1,000.
The minimum price movement, or tick size, is 10 cents. The market may have a wide range, but it must move in increments of at least 10 cents.
COMEX delivery is to New York-area vaults. These vaults are subject to change by the exchange. The most active months traded (according to volume and open interest) are February, April, June, August, October, and December.
To maintain an orderly market, the exchanges will set position limits. A position limit is the maximum number of contracts that a single participant can hold. There are different position limits for hedgers and speculators.
Silver Futures
Silver is traded in dollars and cents per ounce like gold. For example, if silver is trading at $10 per ounce, then the “big” contract has a value of $50,000 (5,000 ounces × $10 per ounce), while the mini would be $10,000 (1,000 ounces × $10 per ounce).
The tick size is $0.001 per ounce, which equates to $5 per big contract and $1 for the mini contract. The market may not trade in a smaller increment, but it can trade larger multiples, like pennies.
Like gold, the delivery requirements specify vaults in the New York area. The most active months for delivery (according to volume and open interests) are March, May, July, September, and December. Silver, too, has position limits set by the exchanges.
Hedgers and Speculators in the Futures Market
The primary function of any futures market is to provide a centralized marketplace for those who have an interest in buying or selling physical commodities sometime in the future. The metal futures market helps hedgers reduce the risk associated with adverse price movements in the cash market. Examples of hedgers include bank vaults, mines, manufacturers, and jewelers.
Hedgers take a position in the market that is the opposite of their physical position. Due to the price correlation between futures and the spot market, a gain in one market can offset losses in the other. For example, a jeweler who is fearful that they will pay higher prices for gold or silver would then buy a contract to lock in a guaranteed price. If the market price for gold or silver goes up, they will have to pay higher prices for gold/silver.
However, because the jeweler took a long position in the futures markets, they could have made money on the futures contract, which would offset the increase in the cost of purchasing the gold/silver. If the cash price for gold or silver and the futures prices eachwent down, the hedger would lose on the futures positionsbut would pay less when buying gold or silver in the cash market.
Unlike hedgers, speculators have no interest in taking delivery, but instead try to profit by assuming market risk. Speculators include individual investors, hedge funds, or commodity trading advisors (CTAs).
Speculators come in all shapes and sizes and can be in the market for different periods of time. Those who are in and out of the market frequently in a session are called scalpers. A day trader holds a position for longer than a scalper does, but usually not overnight. A position trader holds for multiple sessions. Speculators need to be aware that their position can result in losses if a market moves in the opposite direction.
How Do I Trade Gold and Silver Futures?
To trade gold and silver futures, you will need to set up an account with a platform that allows futures trading. Many online trading platforms and full-service brokerages offer futures trading, but you will need to request approval to use this feature.
Once you have an account with access to futures markets, the process is similar to trading other types of investments: You will need to fund the account and then enter an order directing the platform to establish a position in a specific futures contract.
How Do I Select a Futures Trading Platform?
If you are just starting to trade futures but already have an account with a brokerage or trading platform, it may be worthwhile to check if you can authorize your existing account for futures trading. In general, when shopping around for a futures trading platform, you should ensure that it is user-friendly, allows you to enter multiple order types, and charges reasonable fees and commissions.
Advanced traders may benefit if the platform incorporates algorithmic trading functionality, while those who plan on making frequent trades may want to choose a platform with a mobile trading app.
What Are the Benefits of Trading Gold and Silver Futures?
There are several advantages to trading gold and silver futures contracts compared with trading the physical commodities. For one thing, futures contracts offer increased leverage, requiring less capital while increasing the potential return (and the risk) of the investment. Since futures contracts make it easy to take a short as well as a long position, they provide investors with significant flexibility. Futures also eliminate counterparty risk because they trade on centralized exchanges.
What Are the Risks of Trading Gold and Silver Futures?
Although futures contracts allow investors to leverage their capital to increase potential returns, this also means a possibility of amplified losses. If gold or silver prices move in the wrong direction, you may find yourself on the hook for significant losses and subject to margin calls. Futures trading also requires careful monitoring of contract expiration, with many traders opting to roll forward to longer-dated futures contracts as the expiry date approaches.
The Bottom Line
Whether you are a hedger or a speculator, it’s crucial to remember that trading involves substantial risk and is not suitable for everyone. Although there can be significant profits for those who get involved in trading futures on gold and silver, keep in mind that futures trading is best left to traders who have the expertise needed to succeed in these markets.
