Lecture 5 presents the economic functions served by futures and options 
markets. It then begins a description of the terminology and mechanics 
involved in futures and options markets and provides a general 
organization of a typical futures market and the role of regulators and 
governmental oversight.<br>

ARE139: Lecture 6, 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.