Forward Contract (redirected from Forward Contracts)

Forward contract

A contract that specifies the price and quantity of an asset to be delivered in the future. Forward contracts are not standardized and are not traded on organized exchanges.

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Forward Contract

An agreement to buy or sell an asset at a certain date at a certain price. That is, Investor A may make a contract with Farmer B in which A agrees to buy a certain number of bushels of B's corn at $15 per bushel. This contract must be honored whether the price of corn goes to $1 or $100 per bushel. Forward contracts can help reduce volatility in certain markets, but they contain the risks inherent to all speculative investing. These contracts may be sold on the secondary market, but the person holding the contract at its end must take delivery of the underlying asset. Forward contracts are identical to futures contracts except that their provisions are not standardized. That is, forwards may be written with any provisions the parties desire. While this allows for greater flexibility, this makes the contracts less liquid on the secondary market and prevents them from being traded on an exchange.

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forward contract

An agreement between two parties to the sale and purchase of a particular commodity at a specific future time. Although forward contracts are similar to futures, they are not easily transferred or canceled. Thus, they are not liquid.

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Forward contract. A forward contract is similar to a futures contract in the sense that both types of contracts cover the delivery and payment for a specific commodity at a specific future date at a specific price.

The difference is that a futures contract has fixed terms, such as delivery date and quantity, and it's traded on a regulated futures exchange.

A forward contract is traded over the counter and all details of the contract are negotiated between the counterparties, or partners to the agreement.

The price specified in the forward contract for foreign currency, government securities, or other commodities may be higher or lower than the actual market price at the time of delivery, known as the spot price.

But the participants have locked in a price early specifically so they know what they will receive or pay for the product, eliminating market risk.

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Forward Contract

What Does Forward Contract Mean?

A cash market transaction in which delivery of the commodity is deferred until after the contract has been made. Although the delivery is made in the future, the price is determined on the initial trade date.

Investopedia explains Forward Contract

Most forward contracts do not have standards and are not traded on exchanges. A farmer would use a forward contract to “lock in” a price for his or her grain for the upcoming fall harvest.

Related Terms:
• Cash and Cash Equivalents—CCE
• Money Market
• Commodity
• Currency Forward
• Derivative