Everything you need to know about commodity markets in India — from MCX trading hours to lot sizes and settlement.
Commodities are raw materials or primary agricultural products that can be bought and sold on exchanges. Unlike stocks, which represent ownership in a company, commodities are physical goods — gold bars, crude oil barrels, wheat sacks, or copper cathodes. In India, commodity derivatives are traded on exchanges regulated by SEBI.
Commodity trading has a long history in India, dating back to the Bombay Cotton Trade Association founded in 1875. Today, the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) is the primary platform for commodity futures and options trading, handling daily turnover of thousands of crores.
As an asset class, commodities serve multiple purposes: they provide portfolio diversification (low correlation with equities), act as inflation hedges (especially gold), and offer trading opportunities driven by global supply-demand dynamics rather than company fundamentals.
Gold and Silver. The most actively traded commodities on MCX. Driven by global safe-haven demand, USD/INR exchange rate, and central bank policies. Gold trades nearly 24 hours globally.
Crude Oil and Natural Gas. Highly volatile commodities influenced by OPEC decisions, geopolitical tensions, US inventory data, and global economic growth outlook.
Cotton, Mentha Oil, Castor Seed, and others traded on NCDEX. Driven by monsoon patterns, government MSP policies, import/export duties, and seasonal demand cycles.
Copper, Zinc, Aluminium, Lead, and Nickel. Industrial metals driven by manufacturing demand, China's economic activity, LME prices, and infrastructure spending globally.
Morning Session: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM IST
Evening Session: 5:00 PM to 11:30 PM IST (11:55 PM during US DST)
Why extended hours? Commodities trade globally. Evening session overlaps with US markets (COMEX, NYMEX), capturing international price moves.
Key timing: Most volume in gold/crude occurs during 7 PM - 11 PM when US markets are active.
The extended trading hours are a unique feature of commodity markets. Unlike equity markets that close at 3:30 PM, MCX lets you trade until 11:30 PM. This means commodity traders can react to US economic data releases (like Non-Farm Payrolls at 7:00 PM IST or US crude inventory data at 8:00 PM IST) in real-time.
Lot size: 1 kg. Tick size: Re 1. At ~Rs 72,000/gram, one lot value is approx Rs 72 lakhs. Margin requirement: 5-6% (approx Rs 4-4.5 lakhs).
Lot size: 100 grams. More accessible for retail traders. Contract value ~Rs 7.2 lakhs. Margin: ~Rs 40,000-45,000.
Lot size: 30 kg. At ~Rs 90,000/kg, contract value ~Rs 27 lakhs. Margin: 6-8% (approx Rs 1.6-2 lakhs). High absolute volatility.
Lot size: 100 barrels. At ~Rs 6,000/barrel, contract value ~Rs 6 lakhs. Margin: 7-10% (approx Rs 50,000-60,000).
Lot size: 1250 mmBtu. Extremely volatile — margin requirements can be 10-15% or higher during volatile periods.
Lot size: 2500 kg. Contract value varies. Margin: 5-7%. Tracks LME copper prices closely with USD/INR adjustment.
MCX uses SPAN (Standard Portfolio Analysis of Risk) margin system, similar to NSE F&O.
Total Margin = SPAN Margin + Exposure Margin
SPAN margin covers the worst-case loss over one day. Exposure margin is an additional buffer. Margins change daily based on volatility — during high-volatility events (like OPEC decisions), margins can increase by 50-100%.
Jewellers hedge gold price risk, refineries hedge crude oil costs, exporters hedge currency and commodity exposure. They use futures to lock in prices and reduce business uncertainty.
Retail and institutional traders who aim to profit from price movements. They provide liquidity to the market. Most retail commodity traders in India are speculators trading intraday on MCX.
Exploit price differences between MCX and international exchanges (COMEX, LME), or between different contract months. Require sophisticated systems and low brokerage costs.
Commodities follow a well-documented super cycle pattern that typically lasts 15-20 years from trough to peak. Understanding where we are in the cycle helps frame long-term trading and investment decisions.
Recovery: Demand picks up after a downturn. Prices are low, supply is tight because producers cut capacity during contraction. Early signs of price increase.
Expansion: Strong demand growth, prices rising steadily. New investment in production begins but takes years to come online. Best phase for long trades.
Peak: Prices at highs, new supply finally entering the market. Demand growth slowing. Speculative excess common. Time to reduce long exposure.
Contraction: Supply exceeds demand, prices fall. High-cost producers shut down. Inventory builds up. Prices can fall 50-70% from peak.
Commodities trade nearly 15 hours a day, have physical delivery risk, are driven by global supply-demand rather than company earnings, and have different margin structures. Learn commodity-specific dynamics before trading.
Gold Mini, Silver Mini, and Silver Micro contracts require margins of Rs 10,000-45,000. Commodity options require even less capital (just the premium). Start with mini/micro contracts to learn with smaller capital.
While commodities are considered inflation hedges, individual commodities can fall even during inflationary periods depending on supply dynamics. Crude oil crashed in 2020 despite massive money printing. Not all commodities respond to inflation the same way.
MCX gold prices include USD/INR impact, import duties, and GST components. Physical gold has making charges and purity variations. MCX gold futures price = International gold price x USD/INR + import duty + GST.
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