Lecture 2 continues the course introduction - explaining just what is a futures 
contract and what are the four categories of futures contract.  This 
lecture also provides an introduction to an options contract.
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ARE139: Lecture 3, Fall 2015

This course focuses on the institutional structure and economic functions of futures and options markets. Price formation in both commodity (e.g., corn, crude oil, cotton, and cattle) and financial (e.g., Eurodollar, Treasury Bonds, and stock indexes) futures and options markets will be examined in detail. The theory and practice of hedging will be explored in depth. Additional topics include: the theory of inter-temporal price formation for commodities and financials, common approaches used to forecast prices, statistical analysis of historical price behavior, and futures and options market regulation.