Financial futures are standardized financial commodity contracts that are repeatedly traded by exchanges according to certain rules. When this contract is concluded, both parties will actually deliver the financial goods of the specified variety and quantity at the agreed price in the agreed future time, and undertake the obligations and responsibilities of buying or selling the financial goods within a few days.

The difference between futures contracts and forward contracts: it is conducted on the exchange, with strict organization and management and open bidding; Margin system; The transaction object is a standardized contract; The purpose of trading is not to obtain goods, but to transfer risks or obtain bid-ask spreads; Specification of varieties, specifications, quality, quantity and delivery methods of traded commodities; Daily settlement system to ensure market operation.

Financial futures trading is conducted on the exchange, not with the exchange as the counterparty.

Financial futures can be divided into three categories: foreign exchange futures, interest rate futures and stock index futures.