期貨與遠期的區別,主要是:

期貨與遠期的區別,主要是:
  1.期貨是標準化的合約,標的物的品質、數量、交割日期，等等均是標準化的，交易地點是在交易所採用集中交易的方式進行，發生違約的風險很是低，甚至幾乎沒有。期貨合約的流通性更好，由於吸引了投機者的加入。
  2.遠期合約是合同雙方當事人根據須要商定標的物、品質、數量、價格、到期日等等。交易一般只在場外交易，因爲合約非標準化，因此流通量不如期貨，若是其中一方違約，則另外一方會所以而承受違約風險。

Fundamentally, forward and futures contracts have the same function: both types of contracts allow people to buy or sell a specific type of asset at a specific time at a given price. 


However, it is in the specific details that these contracts differ. First of all, futures contracts are exchange-traded and, therefore, are standardized contracts. Forward contracts, on the other hand, are private agreements between two parties and are not as rigid in their stated terms and conditions. Because forward contracts are private agreements, there is always a chance that a party may default on its side of the agreement. Futures contracts have clearing houses that guarantee the transactions, which drastically lowers the probability of default to almost never. 


Secondly, the specific details concerning settlement and delivery are quite distinct. For forward contracts, settlement of the contract occurs at the end of the contract. Futures contracts are marked-to-market daily, which means that daily changes are settled day by day until the end of the contract. Furthermore, settlement for futures contracts can occur over a range of dates. Forward contracts, on the other hand, only possess one settlement date. 


Lastly, because futures contracts are quite frequently employed by speculators, who bet on the direction in which an asset's price will move, they are usually closed out prior to maturity and delivery usually never happens. On the other hand, forward contracts are mostly used by hedgers that want to eliminate the volatility of an asset's price, and delivery of the asset or cash settlement will usually take place.