Even reading the price of a futures or options contract in the newspaper or on the Internet can be confusing at first. All of these topics will be discussed in upcoming articles. Once you have a clear understanding of these concepts you can move on to the most challenging exercise of all - predicting whether the price of your chosen commodity will go higher or lower. If this sounds overwhelming, keep in mind that every trader, including the most successful ones, had to start somewhere and take the time to learn the basics. The good news is there's a wealth of information available to the beginning trader and, with the growth of the Internet, much of that information is free.
Many beginners start their futures trading experience by purchasing a commodity trading course.
Many are available and it is hard to choose one. Any course that claims to make you rich and that fills its pages with marketing hype should probably be avoided. One of the more popular educational tools that many beginning traders have come to rely upon are simulated trading accounts. With these types of accounts, you have the ability to buy or sell futures or options contracts in a realistic environment without incurring market risk for a nominal fee. In other words, you can't lose any money if you are wrong and prices move against you.