How to Reduce the Risks of Trading in Commodity Futures Market

The most important aspect about commodity futures trading just like the financial market trading is that you must manage risks. Managing risk entails basically keeping the losses at minimal and this means that in the event the market goes against you, you are not put into financial problems. The following tips can help reduce the risks of trading in commodity futures;

• A single shift of prices could mean a big fluctuation that may affect the capital you have invested to trade in commodity futures market. It is advisable that you do not trade with fear even in times of losses because this is part of the trade. What you can do is reduce the amount you may lose in any one given trading position.

• Avoiding large single or individual losses is one thing that traders need to ensure so they minimize the chances of plunging into financial pitfalls when trading. A long term success in futures trading is determined by the ability to realize risks and face them. Besides leveraging the amount that you put at risk, there is also another element of managing risks in this trade.

• The market you trade in particularly important. When you trade, you will discover that some markets are more volatile and risky than others. Therefore, if you have small amount to trade with, then you should refrain from trading big money. You have to keep risks in proportion to your capital. This means that you have to emphasize on risks over the big profits you can make in a given market.

• Commodity futures markets are faced with surprise turn of events, which affect the market too fast and move prices against your trade and the movement can be too quickly to exit a position. Within seconds, the prices could drift against your trade and wreck havoc on your trading position causing immense losses. 
  
  You have to examine the risk of surprise events like crop reports, floods, freezes, wars and currency interventions as these can catch you unawareness meaning that by the time you exit a position, the market has very quickly turned against your trade and big losses have been realized. You may trade very well in the better part of a trading period only to lose all that money you have profited for that long period within a blink of an eye.

• The bigger the profits you pursue in your trading positions, the bigger the risks you have to take. The good thing with commodity futures trading is that you are able to make big money in a very short time.  But again, you can even lose much more in a very short time.

Therefore, you have to trade correctly and in proportion to your capital. You must set realistic expectations and should not overtrade your account. Many people lose big money because of greed when they trade in commodity futures. They want to make big money quickly and this comes with a price. If the trade market is not in your favor, you take big losses rather than making big money.