GCI Financial provides a convenient and adaptable method to access a wide range of globally renowned commodities, such as energies and metals, directly through your MetaTrader 4, 5, and cTrader trading platforms.
Speculators find commodity markets appealing due to their vulnerability to significant fluctuations in supply and demand.
Facts
Commodities
- 11 popular products
- Energy, agriculture and metals
- Leverage up to 1:1000
- Deep liquidity
- Trade 24 hours a day, Sunday to Friday (EST)
WHAT ARE COMMODITIES
Commodities trading involves the buying and selling of raw materials or primary goods that are used in the production of other goods or services. These commodities can include energy products (such as crude oil, natural gas), metals (such as gold, silver, copper), and other raw materials (such as lumber).
Commodities trading can occur in several forms, including futures contracts, and spot transactions. Futures contracts are agreements to buy or sell a specific quantity of a commodity at a predetermined price on a future date. Spot transactions involve the immediate exchange of commodities for cash.
Commodities trading serves several purposes, including hedging against price fluctuations, speculating on price movements to earn a profit, and providing liquidity to markets. It plays a crucial role in global economic activity by facilitating the efficient allocation of resources and managing risks for producers, consumers, and investors in various industries.
Energies
At GCI Financial, you can trade spot energy contracts such as Crude Oil, Brent, and Natural Gas against the US Dollar on both MetaTrader 4 and 5 platforms. Trading energy contracts as spot instruments provides numerous advantages for investors who are solely interested in price speculation.
Precious Metals
GCI Financial enables trading of the spot price for Silver against the US Dollar or Euro, as well as Platinum or Palladium against the US Dollar as currency pairs with leverage of 1:400. Additionally, you can trade Gold against the US Dollar with leverage of 1:400.
The Commodities Market: Trading Hours
Commodities trading hours can vary depending on the exchange and the financial instrument being traded. However, there are some common trading hours for major indices:
- Stock Market Indices: Follow the trading hours of the underlying stock exchanges, typically from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) on regular trading days in the United States.
- Futures Indices: Have extended trading hours starting on Sunday evening and continuing until Friday afternoon with brief breaks for maintenance, varying depending on the futures exchange.
- Options on Indices: Trading hours follow the hours of the options exchange where they are listed, often coinciding with the trading hours of the underlying stock market indices.
- Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs): Trade throughout the day on stock exchanges, mirroring regular stock market hours.
Checkout the image below to see how the forex market sessions works out.
Note: The time shown in the image is EST TIME
You’ve probably noticed that there are overlaps between the sessions. For example, at 03:00 (EST) both the Tokyo and London sessions are open. This is what ensures that the indices market provides traders with 24-hour access to trade from Sunday Evening to Friday Evening (the market closes over the weekend).
Commodities Trading Example
1. Opening the Position
The price of the Gold is 2140.50/2141.00 and you decide to buy 3 standard lots (the equivalent of €300,000) at 21142.50.
2. Closing the Position
One week later Gold has risen to 2150.50/2151.25 and so you decide to take the profit by selling back 3 standard lots at 2150.00.
3. The gross profit on your trade is calculated as follows
Opening Price
€300,000 x 1.07992 = USD $323,976
Closing Price
€300,000 x 1.05345 = USD $316,035
Gross Profit on Trade
$323,976 - $316,035 = $7,941
Commodities Contract Specifications
| Commodities | Approximate Value of 1 Lot in $ | Tick Value per Lot | Trading Hours (EST / New York Time) | Margin (per Lot, in $) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. 30 Year T-Bond (Futures) | 100,000 | 0.01 = $5.00 | Sunday 6:00PM - Friday 4:00PM (Closed 5:00PM - 6:00PM each day) | $250 |
| U.S. 10 Year T-Note (Futures) | 100,000 | 0.01 = 5.00 | Sunday 6:00PM - Friday 4:00PM (Closed 5:00PM - 6:00PM each day) | 250 |
| German Bund | 157,500 | 0.01 = 15.75 | 2:00AM - 4:00PM | 1,000 |
| Crude Oil (WTI) | 1,000 barrels | 0.01 = 10.00 | Sunday 6:00PM - Friday 4:00PM (Closed 5:00PM - 6:00PM each day) | 4,000 |
| Brent Crude Oil | 1,000 barrels | 0.01 = 10.00 | Sunday 6:00PM - Friday 4:00PM (Closed 6:00PM - 8:00PM each day) | 5,000 |
| Natural Gas | 10,000 mmBtu | 0.001 = 10.00 | Sunday 6:00PM - Friday 4:00PM (Closed 5:00PM - 6:00PM each day) | 5,000 |
| Gold (Spot) | 100 ounces | 0.10 = 10.00 | Sunday 6:00PM - Friday 4:00PM (Closed 5:00PM - 6:00PM each day) | 1.75% |
| Silver (Spot) | 5,000 ounces | 0.01 = 50.00 | Sunday 6:00PM - Friday 4:00PM (Closed 5:00PM - 6:00PM each day) | 1% |
| Platinum (Spot) | 50 ounces | 0.10 = 5.00 | Sunday 6:00PM - Friday 4:00PM (Closed 5:00PM - 6:00PM each day) | 1% |
| Palladium (Spot) | 100 ounces | 0.05 = 5.00 | Sunday 6:00PM - Friday 4:00PM (Closed 5:00PM - 6:00PM each day) | 1% |
| Copper (Futures) | 250,000 pounds | 0.0001 = 10.00 | Sunday 6:00PM - Friday 4:00PM (Closed 5:00PM - 6:00PM each day) | 1% |
Important:
- - Swap values may be adjusted daily based on market conditions and rates provided by our Price Provider(s).
- This is applicable to all open positions.
- Triple swaps are applied every Wednesday. - Server Times: Eastern Standard Time - Sunday 17:00 to Friday 16:00.
Example - Calculating Commodities Margin Requirements:
| Account Leverage: | 1:400 |
| Account base currency: | USD |
| Account base currency: | Open 5 lots to BUY S&P 500 at 5290.75 |
| 1 Lot size: | 60,000 units |
| Notional value: | 5 x 60,000 x 5290.75 = $537,760 |
| Margin required: | $537,760 / 400 = $1,344.40 |