Single stock futures SSFs are contracts between two investors. The buyer promises to pay a specified price for shares of a single stock at a predetermined future point. The seller promises to deliver the stock at the specified price on the specified future date. Read on to learn all about single single futures and find out whether this investment vehicle could work for you. History Futures on individual equities have been traded in England and several other countries for some time, but in the United States, trading in these instruments was prohibited until recently. Inan agreement between the chairman of the U. Securities and Exchange Commission SECJohn S. Shad, and Philip Johnson, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission CFTCbanned the trading of futures on individual stocks. The Shad-Johnson Accord was ratified by Congress in the same year. Although the accord was originally intended to be a temporary measure, it lasted until Dec. Under the new law, the SEC and the CFMA worked on a jurisdiction-sharing plan, and SSFs began trading in November Congress authorized the National Futures Association to act as the self-regulatory organization for the security futures markets. The Markets Initially, SSFs began trading in two U. OneChicago and the NQLX. In Junehowever, Nasdaq transferred ownership of its stake in the NQLX to the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange LIFFE. Then, in Octoberthe NQLX consolidated its contracts with those of OneChicago, leaving that organization as the primary trading market for SSFs. The Options Clearing Corporation or the Chicago Mercantile Exchange owned by CME Group clears trades in SSF contracts. The Single Stock Futures Ose Each SSF contract is standardized and includes the following basic specifications:. The contract terms call for stock delivery by the seller at a specified future time. However, most contracts are not held to expiration. The contracts are standardized, making them highly liquid. To get out of an open long buying position, the investor simply takes an offsetting short position sells. Conversely, if an investor has sold short a contract and wishes to close it out, he or she buys goes long stock offsetting contract. Trading Basics - Margin When an investor has a long margin account in stock, he or she is borrowing part of the money to buy stock, using the stock as collateral. In an SSF contract, the margin deposit is more of a good faith deposit, which the brokerage firm holds toward the contract settlement. The margin requirement in an SSF applies to both buyers and sellers. In an SSF contract, the buyer long has not borrowed money and pays no interest. At the same time, the seller short has not borrowed stock. The margin requirement for both is the same. The margin requirement for SSFs is continuous. Every business daythe broker will calculate the margin requirement for each position. The investor will be required to post additional margin funds if the account does not meet the minimum margin requirement. Speculation - Trading Single Stock Future Contracts Note: Commissions and transaction fees are not taken into account. This example seems simple, but let's examine the trades closely. This dramatically illustrates the leverage power of trading SSFs. Of course, had the market moved in the opposite direction, the investor easily could have experienced losses exceeding the margin deposit. Again, let's examine the return the investor had on the initial deposit. The return on the investor's deposit was Hedging - Protecting Stock Positions An overview of SSFs would not be complete without mentioning the use of these contracts to hedge a stock position. To hedge, the investor takes an SSF position exactly opposite to the stock position. That way, any losses on the stock position will be offset by gains on the SSF position. However, this is only a temporary solution because the SSF will expire. The investor wishes to keep the stock at least until September, however, because of an upcoming options payment. In August, the investor sells the stock at options market price and buys back the SSF contract. The Major Advantages Over Stock Trading Compared to directly trading stocks, SSFs provide several major advantages:. Comparison with Equity Options Investing in SSFs differs from investing in equity options contracts in several ose The Bottom Line Investing in single stock futures offers flexibility, leverage and the possibility of innovative strategies for investors. Dictionary Term Of The Day. Net Margin is the ratio of net profits to revenues for a company or business segment Latest Videos PeerStreet Offers New Way to Bet on Housing New to Buying Bitcoin? This Mistake Could Cost You Guides Stock Basics Economics Basics Options Basics Exam Prep Series 7 Exam CFA Level 1 Series 65 Exam. Sophisticated content for financial advisors around investment strategies, industry trends, and advisor education. Introduction To Single Stock Futures By Tom Drinkard Share. The Single Stock Futures Contract Each SSF contract is standardized and includes the following basic specifications: Four quarterly expiration months - March, June, September and December. Additionally, two serial months are the next two months that are not quarterly expirations. CST on business days Last Trading Day: Third Friday of the expiration month Margin Requirement: This indicates that investors in SSFs must be very ose - they must keep close track of market movements. Furthermore, the exact margin and maintenance requirements of an investor's brokerage firm are key issues single must be considered in determining the suitability of SSF investments. The Major Advantages Over Stock Trading Compared to directly trading stocks, SSFs provide several major advantages: Compared to buying stock on margin, investing in SSFs is less costly. An investor can use leverage to control more stock with a smaller cash outlay. Taking a short position in SSFs is simpler, less costly and may be executed at any time - there is no requirement for an uptick. SSF investors can use the instruments to speculatehedge, spread or use in a large array of sophisticated strategies. Single stock futuress also have disadvantages. An investor who is long in a stock can only lose what he or she has invested. In an SSF contract, there is the risk of losing significantly more than the initial stock margin deposit. The SSF owner has no voting rights and no rights to dividends. SSFs are investments that require investors to monitor their positions more closely than many would like to do. Because SSF accounts are marked to the market every business day, there is the possibility that the brokerage firm might issue a margin callrequiring the investor to decide whether to quickly deposit additional funds or liquidate the position. The investor has the right but not the obligation to purchase or deliver stock. In a long SSF position, the investor is obligated to deliver the stock. Movement of the Market: Options traders use a mathematical factor, the deltathat measures the relationship between the options premium and the underlying stock price. At times, an options contract 's value may fluctuate independently of the stock price. By contrast, the SSF contract will much more closely follow the underlying stock's movement. The Price of Investing: When an options investor takes a long position, he or she pays a premium for the contract. The premium is often called a wasting asset. At expiration, unless the options contract is in the moneythe contract is worthless and the investor has lost the entire premium. Single stock futures contracts require an initial options deposit and a specific cash maintenance level. These derivatives allow investors to transfer risk, but there are many choices and factors that investors must weigh before buying in. Futures is short for Futures Contracts, which are contracts between a buyer and seller of an asset who agree to exchange goods and money at a future date, but at a price and quantity determined Learn about the risks and rewards of trading oil futures contracts. Read about a few strategies to limit the risk in trading oil futures contracts. We explain what forex futures are, where they are traded, and the tools you need to successfully trade these derivatives. Learn about exchange-traded fund ETF options and index futures, and why it might be a better decision to use ETF options instead of futures. Learn about values of futures contracts and the initial margin a trader must place in an account to open a futures position, Understand how maintenance margin calls work, and learn about how margin requirements are different for trading stock versus An option gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation to buy or sell a certain asset at a specific price at any time Learn what differences exist between futures and options contracts and how each can be used to hedge against investment risk Learn what resources are available to learn about trading commodities, and understand some of the differences between stock Futures contracts are one of the most common derivatives used to hedge risk. A futures contract is as an arrangement between Net Margin is the ratio of net profits to revenues for a company or business segment - typically expressed as a percentage A measure of the fair value of accounts that can change over time, such as assets and liabilities. Single to market aims A simple, or arithmetic, moving average that is calculated by adding the closing price of the security for a number of time An investment that is not one of the three traditional asset types stocks, bonds and cash. The abbreviation for the British pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom, the British Overseas Territories Brexit refers to Britain's leaving the European Union, which could happen in as few as two years. No thanks, I prefer not making money. Content Library Articles Terms Videos Guides Slideshows FAQs Calculators Chart Advisor Stock Analysis Stock Simulator FXtrader Exam Prep Quizzer Net Worth Calculator. Work With Investopedia About Us Advertise With Us Write For Us Contact Us Careers. Get Free Newsletters Newsletters. All Rights Reserved Terms Of Use Privacy Policy.
Subhas Dutta placed before a division bench, presided by justice Asim Banerjee, 30 photographs which he claimed were proof of the digging and spoiling of the ground by contractors and workers setting up the showrooms and book fair offices.
With familiarity, the romance begins to fade, - as was the case with electricity, cars, airplanes and TV in the early decades of the 20th century, and as has been the case more recently with computers, the Internet, and, - increasingly now, - with AI.
In the process, I will have to propose appropriate definitions.
The theme of Heart of Darkness is the immorality of imperialism.
Of course there are plenty of examples of people who have obstacles that prevent them from advancing.
Subhas Dutta placed before a division bench, presided by justice Asim Banerjee, 30 photographs which he claimed were proof of the digging and spoiling of the ground by contractors and workers setting up the showrooms and book fair offices.
With familiarity, the romance begins to fade, - as was the case with electricity, cars, airplanes and TV in the early decades of the 20th century, and as has been the case more recently with computers, the Internet, and, - increasingly now, - with AI.