Commodity Futures Brokers

How Discount Brokers Work?

February 18th, 2014 Filed under Commodity Trading, Future Trading News, Future Trading Platform, Futures Broker, Futures Trading | Comments Off on How Discount Brokers Work?

Discount Futures Brokerage is formatted to provide a more cost effective way of trading futures for experienced traders who are comfortable placing trades over the internet , using their personal computer..

Discount Futures Brokers typically offer lower service fees and take a more minimal role in daily trading decisions. What you are essentially using a broker since then, is to place orders and for representation on the exchange floor. It is true that futures trading, or any trading market for that matter, could not operate without market participants and market professionals representing those participants. With commodities markets being so risky, regardless of cost it is clear that qualified brokers are vital to the success of participants of various markets.

What’s The Difference?

The biggest difference with discount brokers is the client’s ability to be more self-directed with their trading profile. The risk associated with futures trading disclaims that there is no guarantee of profit no matter who manages your money. No matter the level of involvement, brokers still represent the interests of every client and are likewise as valuable. The need for Futures Trading Brokers will never become obsolete, so the emphasis on discount brokerage need be on discounted commissions and fees, not discounted service.

Below is a list of lesser or excluded fees associated with a discount futures brokerage:

Account Maintenance Fees
Platform Fees
DataFeed Fees (Online/E-Trading)
Low Margin Investments
Broker Support Fees

Another difference with discount brokerage is the type of platform often used for this type of futures brokerage service; online. Online Futures Trading is in some cases synonymous with a discount futures brokerage. The reason this is, is due to lower costs associated with online platforms that allow you to do most of the monitoring of real time market data. A wide selection of online futures companies provide the software you can download to use to trade and build a profile. When one places orders online, he doesn’t need to call his broker and place orders via phone. That saves the time of the broker and allow for lower, discounted fees.

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5 Mistakes of Commodity Trading & Futures Levels & Economic Reports 12.05.2013

December 4th, 2013 Filed under Commodity Trading, Future Trading News, Future Trading Platform, Futures Broker, Futures Trading | Comments Off on 5 Mistakes of Commodity Trading & Futures Levels & Economic Reports 12.05.2013

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

1. Market Commentary
2. Futures Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000, Dollar Index
3. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Futures Economic Reports for Thursday December 5, 2013

Hello Traders,

For 2013 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

5 Common Mistakes of Commodity Trading by Joe Easton Senior Commodity Broker with Cannon Trading

As a broker who serves different types of clients with different backgrounds, risk capital and risk appetite, I have observed the following 5 common mistakes traders make, in hopes you can learn and avoid!

Trading with lagging indicators. As a Broker, I get to see the whole range, from traders making their first trade, to traders making their last trade, and everything in between. The beginner traders almost always start along the same path. Using MACD, Williams %R, Stochastic, RSI and most other indicators you can find to predict price is a very common mistake. These indicators often follow price movement, not predict future price movement. Sure when looking at a chart in hindsight, they match up great, but in real time they are lagging. This style of trading will more than likely lead to losses.
Trading Undercapitalized. This mistake should be placed in the premarket (before opening an account) because an account shouldn’t even be opened without proper capitalization. Assuming you did open an account, trade within limits. Each Trader has different risk tolerance, but across the board, no one should be trading with funds they cannot afford to lose. When trading with limited funds or overleveraged 1 day can end your trading career before it began. Cannon offers aggressive day trading margins, as do our competitors, but by no means do we endorse taking advantage of all that leverage. In futures trading some markets are leveraged 100:1 or even more. Meaning you are controlling a lot more capital then you may think. For example: The ES is trading at 1695 right now. You are controlling 1695*50= $84,750.00 with a mere $500 or approximately 170:1 leverage. With all that leverage account balances can fluctuate rapidly. When Trader’s take losses psychology shifts, when a shift in psychology meets lack of funds or overleveraged trading decisions are affected. Trading on low balance or outside reasonable limits is a sure recipe for losses.
Overtrading. This mistake is common among beginner and advanced traders. Until it is overcame, significant profits will be lost to commissions. More importantly, your trading profit potential will be limited. Whether trading 1 lot or 1000 lots per order there is still only so many moves a market can make in a given trading period. Intraday trading typically results in three moves or less. Sure there are days that bounce between the high and the low all day, but that is one move, sideways. Other days include trend days (one direction), or 3 move days, which I believe to be most common. A 3 move day is up then down (usually a retracement) then up, or down then up then down. A two move day would be up then down or down then up. If most days fall under these formats, what reason would a 1 lot trader have to make 100 trades? Not a good one, I’ll tell you that.
Losing Days. About every Trader has losing days, it is part of the business. The key is to limit losses, similarly to trading. You should monitor your account balance like you monitor your trades. When you see it going the wrong way, you should become impatient and look to cut it short. There are infinite factors why you are having a losing day, the fact is you are and you need to know in advance where the bleeding stops. Many skilled and professional traders regularly take profits from the market day in and day out only to blow the account up the one day the market doesn’t react the way they expect. Often ego or anger can block rational thoughts and averaging in and reversing is all too easy. Having hard rules like maximum lot size and maximum daily loss can preserve your capital and prevent losing days from burying your account.
Chasing the market. There are so many mistakes, it is hard to only choose five, but chasing the market will conclude this list. Markets do not move in straight lines. Aside from major news there are very few large moves without retracements. Depending on the market a “big” move can be calculated by taking the average daily range and multiplying by 2 or 3. Market conditions are constantly changing, but in all circumstances, when a market makes a big move, it is more likely to retrace or reverse before continuing. Traders that buy the ES after 15 points up or sell gold after a $50 move down are behind the ball and more times than not will be stopped out with a loss. Wait for the retracement or play the other side, this will help limit loses by chasing.

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What to Look For When Comparing Futures Brokers

November 25th, 2013 Filed under Commodity Trading, Future Trading News, Futures Broker, Futures Trading | Comments Off on What to Look For When Comparing Futures Brokers

Great risks and great rewards are two of the main principles founded in trading. Since 1848, where resides the world’s oldest and largest functioning options exchange, individuals have made fortunes and lost companies, behind this fickle industry. In the futures market, these two linked together, can lead to greater success, but how? Firstly, let us look at the components of a futures market, and futures brokers. In short, the futures market can be compared to the stock market, but with a focus on the future rise or fall, particularly in commodity prices (the price of raw materials and primary products) such as:

Cocoa
Oil
Coffee
Gold
Copper
Wheat

To name a few…

The above aforementioned goods form what is considered to be the commodities market. Though Cocoa and wheat are considered soft commodities, and lumber oil and electricity are hard commodities, these both are secured by futures contracts, which entail physical assets. Futures broker diligently watches commodity markets, assesses two indicators, supply and demand. As a general rule, the determination of supply and demand, generally dictates the amount of money to allocate to a certain position in the commodities market. Once this position is held, the futures broker can predetermine the value of a commodity. Moreover, if the forecast was apt, you sell high and receive a larger profit, on the converse, a wrong forecast could lead to a loss of your initial risk capital. Losses in general, are hard to accept, however, without a great risk, yes the potential gain is greater, but we always have to calculate the loss.

When we talk about a loss in investment, inherently, it is a part of the mind, which is usually ignored. Accepting a loss, to survive in this industry requires fortitude and discipline. Why? The first instinct, when you lose money, is to double-down. Briefly, to double down depend mainly on if you see a future in the market that you are investing in, and if not, simply cut your losses. Consequently, with great uncertainty in the commodity markets, and a brief overview of this vast aspect of the financial sector, how can you choose a prudent, savvy, yet, sage futures broker?

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Different Ways to Invest in Commodities and Futures

October 28th, 2013 Filed under Commodity Trading, Futures Trading | Comments Off on Different Ways to Invest in Commodities and Futures

When it comes to investing in commodities/futures there are several different ways to do so. I’ve been a futures broker at Cannon Trading Company for about 4 years and I wanted to touch base on a few different ways I have seen clients trade and invest in futures and commodities over the years.

I have seen many investors (small and large) participate in trading ETFs or ETF funds. With ETFs you do not own the actual commodity but you are looking to track the performance on either a single commodity or commodity index containing many different commodities through either its physical storage or derivatives positions in the market.

I do not accommodate trading ETFs or ETF funds with my actual clients. I am a registered futures broker and here at Cannon Trading Company we do not accommodate ETF trading for our clients. Please keep in mind the differences when trading ETFs versus commodities and futures. With ETFs you may experience management fees where as if you have a self directed futures and commodities trading account you will not experience those types of fees. Also when trading futures, unless you have a limited power of attorney on your account where you authorize another individual to trade your account, there is not a third party making your trading decisions and trading your account on your behalf. Here, at Cannon Trading Company many futures/commodities trader have self directed accounts where he or she makes their own decisions when it comes to trading.

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Top Things to Consider When Choosing a Futures Broker

October 20th, 2013 Filed under Futures Broker, Futures Trading | Comments Off on Top Things to Consider When Choosing a Futures Broker

With many economists, researchers and traders calling for the next bull market in commodities, and you have disposable risk capital to take advantage of these potential trends you may be asking yourself – How can I begin my search for a solid reliable Futures Broker? I have included 9 items below that you should be cognizant of to assist you in finding a reliable partner for your commodity trading needs.

1. The Futures Brokers history

How long has the Futures Broker been in business? What is the commodity trading brokers regulatory history? you can check here by selecting BASIC then responding to the prompts to bring up a regulatory profile of the firms or individuals that you are interested in researching. http://www.nfa.futures.org/ Many times you will be able to find a nuisance regulatory issue and other times you may find regulatory actions that would cause you to pause. If you pause, move on to another broker as all legitimate Commodity Futures Brokers must be registered with the National Futures Association (NFA). if you can’t find your broker on the NFA website, you may not be dealing with a regulated entity.

2. Trading Platform choices

You would be looking for a Discount Futures broker if platform choice is critical to your trading strategy. Opportunities to use a variety of tools and risk management software to enhance your trading experience as an online, self-directed trader will vastly improve your traders toolbox. Preferably you will want to use a Discount futures broker that can offer a wide array of trading solutions software to execute your plan. Not all Platforms and Data feeds are alike and in this day of wifi and internet , the speed and accuracy of your software will be critical to your success, not to mention the bandwidth you will be piping into your computer.

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