Financial encyclopediaReviewed 2026-10-23

Futures contract

An agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of a commodity or financial instrument at a specified price on a particular date in the future.

Sources and references ↗

PROFILE / FACT FILE

Concept at a glance

Term: Futures contract [1]
Subject area: Investor.gov glossary [1]
Jurisdiction / scope: US regulatory and investor-education context [1]
Primary reference: SEC · Investor.gov [1]

Definition and explanation

An agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of a commodity or financial instrument at a specified price on a particular date in the future. [1]

Frequently asked questions

What does Futures contract mean in the cited reference?

An agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of a commodity or financial instrument at a specified price on a particular date in the future. [1]

Sources and review dates

US SEC · Investor.gov — Futures contract ↗

Reviewed 23 October 2026. Historical dates and award-time affiliations retain their original context. A review date is not an event date. Background sources are identified separately from official records.

Content preparation: source-based compilation with AI assistance. See methods and attribution. Named sources identify the underlying records; no individual expert review is claimed.