Futures trading is a method of speculative trading that allows investors to get contracts based on whether they think the value of a commodity will rise or drop. A commodity could be anything that is bought and sold in large quantities, all the way from stainlesss steel and corn to currency and oil could be a commodity you may trade. Being an investor, you take out a contract based on whether you think the price of a commodity goes up or goes down. If you’re right, you get to cash in and bank income. If you happen to be wrong, you lose the amount of money you might have risked on the exchange.