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Before you trade Futures, it’s essential to understand how these markets operate, especially how margin, leverage, and settlement work. This insight helps you manage risk, stay capital-efficient, and avoid unnecessary surprises. Margin Basics Every future position requires margin. It’s important to note margin is not an added cost per contract, margin is a good-faith deposit or can be thought of as a “performance bond” to ensure you can meet your obligations. There are three main types: Initial Margin: The exchange sets this as a percentage of the contract’s notional value based on a wide variety of factors including volatility, size of the contract, and average market movement. Maintenance Margin: The minimum balance required to keep your position open. If your balance drops below this, you’ll get a margin call. Day Trading Margin: Set by your broker, often a fraction of the exchanges Initial Margin. Day Trading margins can provide more leverage, but in turn this comes with more risk. Leverage in Action Futures are leveraged products. With just a small amount of capital, you can control a much larger position. For example, with the E-mini S&P 500 trading at 6800, one contract has a notional value of $50 x 6800 = $340,000. We illustrate this below using initial margin and day margins examples. Leverage using Initial Margin: Leverage = Notional Value / Initial margin required Example: For 1 Long ES contract, with initial margin $23429. Leverage = 340,000 /23429 Leverage = 14.5x Leverage using Day Trading Margin: Leverage = Notional Value / Day margin required For 1 Long ES contract, with day margin at $1000. Leverage = 340,000/1000 Leverage = 340x **As the notional value rises or falls, so does leverage. Leverage is a double-edged sword it can work for you and against you. Higher leverage increases the risk of gains as well as losses. Depending on your margin, you might only need a few thousand dollars to take that trade. While this enhances your buying power, it also increases risk, as losses could exceed your initial deposit. Mark-to-Market & Daily Settlements Futures are marked to market daily. This means your P&L is updated at the end of each session based on the day’s closing price. Gains are credited to your account, and losses are debited, helping to ensure real-time risk management and capital adequacy. Physical vs. Cash Settlement When a contract expires, there are two possible outcomes: Physical Delivery: You receive or deliver the actual commodity. Example: An oil producer secures a price of $62.00 per barrel through a long futures position. At contract expiration, the producer is obligated to take delivery of 1,000 barrels, which represents $62,000 in total value. If market prices rise to $80.00 per barrel, the producer can sell the physical oil at an $18.00 per barrel gain (before accounting for commissions and futures and other related fees). Cash Settlement: No goods change hands, and your account is adjusted based on the final settlement price set by the exchange. This is common in financial contracts like the E-mini S&P 500 (ES). Understanding margin and leverage is fundamental to trading futures effectively. These mechanics define how much risk you’re taking, how your capital is allocated, and how your account is managed daily. At EdgeClear, our mission is to help traders develop a deeper understanding of the markets and the tools that move them. Follow us on TradingView for more Trade Ideas like this one, or connect with our team to learn how you can trade futures with confidence, precision, and the right guidance.

Futures contracts are everywhere, from crude oil and stock indices to interest rates and even Bitcoin. They’re essential tools for traders and institutions to manage risk or capitalize on price speculation. What Are Futures? A futures contract is a legally binding agreement to buy or sell an asset at a set price on a future date. These contracts can involve commodities, currencies, or financial instruments. Why Trade Futures? Futures serve two core purposes Hedging: Used by businesses to protect against adverse price moves. Example: A Corn farmer locks in $4.00 per bushel using a short futures position. If the price drops, they’re protected by gains in the contract. Conversely, if the price rises, the farmer should theoretically be able to sell the physical product at a higher amount. Speculation: Speculators are a very important piece to market stability and liquidity. Many traders use futures to attempt to profit from market direction, in other words speculate on market moves. For instance, if a trader buys an E-mini S&P 500 contract at 6500 and it rises to 6550, they profit*. But losses can occur just as quickly if the market moves against the position. *Always account for fees and commissions when evaluating performance." Types of Futures Contracts Commodity Futures — Crude oil, soybeans, gold. Financial Futures — S&P 500, interest rates, Treasury bonds. Currency Futures — Euro, Yen, and other FX contracts. Cryptocurrency Products — Bitcoin, Etherum, Solana. Key Takeaway Whether you’re hedging or speculating, futures are dynamic and powerful tools. But they also carry significant risk. The first step is understanding what you're trading and why. At EdgeClear, we’re here to help you trade with confidence. If you’re new or want to enhance your strategy, follow us on TradingView to learn more about Futures and read our latest Trade Ideas. CME_MINI:ES1! CME_MINI:NQ1! COMEX:GC1! NYMEX:CL1! CME:BTC1!

NYMEX:CL1! NYMEX:MCL1! Markets Overview Markets have largely shrugged off the U.S. government shutdown, with major indices pressing to fresh all-time highs. While the headline optimism continues, it’s important to note that over one million federal employees remain furloughed, leading to delays in key economic data releases and potential short-term distortions in macro readings. Despite the Atlanta Fed GDPNow model projecting stronger growth, underlying household dynamics suggest stress ahead. Lower-income consumers, already contending with tighter credit and depleted savings, are likely to see further deterioration in spending and sentiment, which may weigh on Q4 consumption trends. Market Positioning & Flows While equities appear to be in a new leg of the bull market, positioning data suggests this may not be entirely organic. According to publicly available data many hedge funds continue to under-perform the S&P 500, forcing catch-up buying after missing the April lows. This dynamic may also be contributing to the current momentum-driven equity strength, even as macro headwinds persist. Metals Performance Precious metals have been standout performers year-to-date, reflecting declining real yields and persistent inflation hedging flows: • Gold: +42.46% YTD • Silver: +56.88% YTD • Platinum: +71.29% YTD (Source: Finviz YTD Futures Performance) This rally underscores a broader rotation toward real assets, consistent with expectations of lower real interest rates and a weaker U.S. dollar trajectory. Crude Oil Technical & Trade Setup Crude oil prices reached $66.42 in September before retracing lower. The recent OPEC+ announcement of additional voluntary cut unwinding at a pace of 137 kbpd for November adds a modest supply-side loosening. From a technical perspective, price action has bounced at the yearly Volume Profile’s Value Area Low (VAL), a key area of structural support. Current positioning shows: • Price trading below Q2 VAL • Price trading above yearly VAL (yVAL) Scenario 1: Long on Reclaim of Q2 VAL • Setup: Watch for crude to confirm acceptance back above the Q2 VAL as a support level. • Trigger: Long entry on confirmation of acceptance above VAL. • Target: o First target: 2025 mid-range at $62.97 o Secondary target: Yearly open at $65.17 Scenario 2 : Long on Deeper Retest • Setup: Should price reject Q2 VAL, patience is warranted. • Entry Zone: Wait for price to move lower toward yVAL and March 2025 low confluence. • Target: Return move toward 2025 mid-range ($62.97). Despite near-term noise from policy uncertainty and supply adjustments, the broader technical structure favors accumulation on weakness rather than chasing momentum. Crude remains range-bound but biased for upside stabilization into Q4, supported by resilient demand and disciplined OPEC+ management.