Traditional "futures markets" are places where buyers and sellers trade commodities to be exchanged at future dates. Both parties sign contracts in which they agree to buy or sell amounts of actual commodities at a specified price and time in the future.
所謂「期貨」一詞是由英文的「Futures」翻譯而來，意即「未來的商品」，買賣雙方透過簽訂標準化的合約，同意按指定的時間、價格與其他交易條件，交收指定數量的現貨，這就是所謂的期貨交易。