Futures Trading 101

Course: Futures Trading 101 — Taught by Eli Gal Levy

Who this course is for

Beginners who want to understand futures before risking a dollar: how the markets work, margin, order types, risk, and a simulation capstone before going live.
Experienced stock, options or forex traders moving to futures: technical analysis, contract specs, leverage, session hours, and the execution and risk framework professionals use.
Active traders who want a structured, repeatable process instead of indicators and tips.

Who it isn't for

Anyone looking for trade signals, alerts or a "system" to follow.
Anyone expecting a specific return. The course teaches process; it makes no promise of profit, and trading futures involves substantial risk of loss.

What you'll learn

Sundays & Wednesdays, 11:00 AM–1:30 PM ET · Nov 22 – Dec 16

Day 1 · Sun, Nov 22 — Foundations & The Futures Market Map
Day 2 · Wed, Nov 25 — The Futures Ecosystem, Hours & Margin
Day 3 · Sun, Nov 29 — Market Cycles, Approaches & Rules of Engagement
Day 4 · Wed, Dec 2 — Preparing for the Day & Money Management
Day 5 · Sun, Dec 6 — Trend, Market Signals & Fundamentals
Day 6 · Wed, Dec 9 — Execution, Order Types & Candlestick Analysis
Day 7 · Sun, Dec 13 — Support, Resistance, Patterns & Indicators
Day 8 · Wed, Dec 16 — Market Profile, Psychology & Going Live

View the full syllabus

About the course

Futures Trading 101 is a comprehensive program for individuals who want to participate in the futures markets with professional-grade knowledge and quality tools. Students train using demo software with live market data — provided through introducing broker (IB) firms — while building the analytical discipline that technology alone cannot supply.

The program covers how to assess whether futures trading is right for you, a structured risk-assessment framework, the technology professional traders use, and trade execution across the major futures asset classes — equity index, interest-rate, energy, metals, currency and crypto futures. You will learn to read price, volume and intermarket signals and to integrate technical analysis, fundamental data and risk management into one coherent, repeatable framework.

Everything is practiced in real-time simulation before any capital is committed. The guiding principle throughout is simple: survival and disciplined process come first.

Disclosure: I only provide tools and knowledge on trading and the futures markets. I do not recommend specific contracts, securities, or other derivatives.

Enroll Now

30 Day Program

I guide you through the futures markets and you practice on demo trading software, with live market data. You learn the platforms; order types and execution tools professional traders use — all before any real capital is committed.

20 Hours of Online Course

20 hours of online instruction across 4 weeks, in 2.5-hour classes. We work through 32 in-depth modules — from the futures market map, margin and regulation to execution, technical analysis, market psychology and a live-market simulation capstone. The material is in-depth, but worry not, this is just the beginning of an exciting journey.

GROW YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Day 1 · Sun, Nov 22 — Foundations & The Futures Market Map

What it takes to approach the futures market with discipline
The three categories of online traders
A framework for sustainable, risk-aware trading
Why simulated trading comes before real capital
The futures market map: equity index, interest-rate & volatility futures
Energy, metals & agricultural futures
Currency & crypto futures
Reading the institutional macro dashboard & intermarket relationships

Day 2 · Wed, Nov 25 — The Futures Ecosystem, Hours & Margin

What a futures contract is: E-mini vs. Micro
Market participants: hedgers, speculators & proprietary firms
The role of the clearinghouse and mark-to-market
Cash vs. physical settlement
Contract months, roll, expiration & First Notice Day
Contango, backwardation & roll yield
Regular trading hours vs. Globex; liquidity windows & session breakdown
Margin & leverage and the regulatory framework (CFTC, NFA)

Day 3 · Sun, Nov 29 — Market Cycles, Approaches & Rules of Engagement

Market cycles and historical crashes (1929–2020)
Drawdown and recovery math
Three approaches to market participation by time horizon
Long-term, swing and day-trading frameworks
• Hedging a portfolio with futures
• Average True Range (ATR) and stop placement
• A checklist for choosing a broker
Rules of engagement and the Section 1256 (60/40) tax framework

Day 4 · Wed, Dec 2 — Preparing for the Day & Money Management

The pre-market routine and economic calendar
Building a daily trading bias
The architecture of survival: daily loss limits & per-trade risk
Position sizing and R-multiples
Expectancy and win-rate basics
Drawdown depth, duration and recovery
Stop-loss discipline: initial, break-even and trailing stops
Critical trading errors and how to avoid them

Day 5 · Sun, Dec 6 — Trend, Market Signals & Fundamentals

Candlestick and OHLC bar fundamentals
The three trend conditions and reversals
Volatility regimes: compressed vs. expanded
Multi-timeframe trend analysis
Prior-session key levels and the opening-range signal
The 3-layer bias model: weekly / daily / intraday
VWAP and intraday value references
Fundamental analysis: the Fed, FOMC and key economic indicators

Day 6 · Wed, Dec 9 — Execution, Order Types & Candlestick Analysis

The four pillars of entry: edge, location, timing & execution
Position management and scaling
Exiting a trade and recognizing invalidation
Order types: market, limit, stop, stop-limit, trailing & bracket (OCO)
Slippage and spread basics
Execution technology: DOM, the order book and the tape
Reading order flow and absorption
Candlestick patterns: hammer, doji, engulfing, stars and more

Day 7 · Sun, Dec 13 — Support, Resistance, Patterns & Indicators

Support and resistance zones and confirmation
Role reversal: support↔resistance flips
Breakouts, breakdowns and false breakouts
Liquidity sweeps and the Wyckoff market cycle
Technical indicators: Bollinger Bands, MACD, RSI & Stochastics
Volume analysis, On-Balance Volume and capitulation
Fibonacci retracements and pivot points
Market internals: NYSE TICK, TRIN and the advance-decline line

Day 8 · Wed, Dec 16 — Market Profile, Psychology & Going Live

Classic patterns: the dead cat bounce, hooks and gap analysis
Market Profile: TPO, Point of Control, Value Area & Initial Balance
The psychology of professional trading
Procedural discipline and the minimalist trading journal
Transitioning to live markets with /MES and /MNQ
The multi-timeframe and key-levels framework
Session-based behavior: the seven phases of the trading day
Building your personal trading playbook
Capstone: live-market simulation (90+ sessions before live capital)

LEGAL DISCLOSURE & RISK WARNING

This publication is provided by galtrades.com for informational and educational purposes only. Content may include market commentary, technical observations, analyst opinions, and aggregated material derived from publicly available sources. While such information is believed to be reliable, galtrades.com does not author, independently verify, endorse, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any third-party information referenced or summarized herein.

The information, opinions, market data, and commentary contained in this publication are subject to change at any time without notice and do not constitute investment advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security, futures contract, option on futures, foreign currency transaction, or any other financial instrument. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Trading Futures, Options on Futures, retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions, and other derivatives involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You may lose all or more than your initial investment. Carefully consider whether trading is appropriate for you in light of your experience, objectives, financial resources, and other relevant circumstances.

galtrades.com does not guarantee any profits and makes no representation that the strategies, ideas, analyses, or information presented will result in profitable trades or avoid losses. Any market views, analyst calls, forecasts, or third-party commentary referenced reflect the opinions of their respective authors and may or may not align with the views of galtrades.com.

HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE DISCLAIMER: HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE MANY INHERENT LIMITATIONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE DESCRIBED BELOW. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFITS OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN. IN FACT, THERE ARE FREQUENTLY SHARP DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND THE ACTUAL RESULTS SUBSEQUENTLY ACHIEVED BY ANY PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM. ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS IS THAT THEY ARE GENERALLY PREPARED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. IN ADDITION, HYPOTHETICAL TRADING DOES NOT INVOLVE FINANCIAL RISK, AND NO HYPOTHETICAL TRADING RECORD CAN COMPLETELY ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL RISK IN ACTUAL TRADING. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND LOSSES OR TO ADHERE TO A PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM IN SPITE OF TRADING LOSSES ARE MATERIAL POINTS WHICH CAN ALSO ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER FACTORS RELATED TO THE MARKETS IN GENERAL OR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY SPECIFIC TRADING PROGRAM WHICH CANNOT BE FULLY ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE PREPARATION OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND ALL OF WHICH CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS.

Futures Trading 101 — Course fee: $1,500