
THE RISK OF LOSS IN TRADING COMMODITY FUTURES CONTRACTS CAN BE SUBSTANTIAL. YOU SHOULD THEREFORE CAREFULLY CONSIDER WHETHER SUCH TRADING IS SUITABLE IN LIGHT OF YOUR FINANCIAL CONDITION. IN CONSIDERING WHETHER TO TRADE OR TO AUTHORIZE SOMEONE ELSE TO TRADE FOR YOU, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING: YOU MAY SUSTAIN A TOTAL LOSS OF THE INITIAL MARGIN FUNDS AND ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDS THAT YOU DEPOSIT WITH YOUR BROKER TO ESTABLISH OR MAINTAIN YOUR POSITION. IF THE MARKET MOVES AGAINST YOUR POSITION, YOU MAY BE CALLED UPON BY YOUR BROKER TO DEPOSIT A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL MARGIN FUNDS, ON SHORT NOTICE, IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN YOUR POSITION. IF YOU DO NOT PROVIDE THE REQUIRED FUNDS WITHIN THE PRESCRIBED TIME, YOUR POSITION MAY BE LIQUIDATED AT A LOSS, AND YOU WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY RESULTING DEFICIT IN YOUR ACCOUNT. UNDER CERTAIN MARKET CONDITIONS, YOU MAY FIND IT DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO LIQUIDATE A POSITION. THIS CAN OCCUR, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE MARKET MAKES A "LIMIT MOVE". THE PLACEMENT OF CONTINGENT ORDERS, SUCH AS A "STOP-LOSS" OR "STOP-LIMIT" ORDER, WILL NOT NECESSARILY LIMIT YOUR LOSSES TO THE INTENDED AMOUNTS, SINCE MARKET CONDITIONS MAY MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO EXECUTE SUCH ORDERS. A "SPREAD" POSITION MAY NOT BE LESS RISKY THAN A SIMPLE "LONG" OR "SHORT" POSITION. THE HIGH DEGREE OF LEVERAGE THAT IS OFTEN OBTAINABLE IN FUTURES TRADING BECAUSE OF THE SMALL MARGIN REQUIREMENT CAN WORK AGAINST YOU AS WELL AS FOR YOU. THE USE OF LEVERAGE CAN LEAD TO LARGE LOSSES AS WELL AS GAINS. THIS BRIEF STATEMENT CANNOT, OF COURSE, DISCLOSE ALL THE RISKS AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS OF THE COMMODITY MARKETS. YOU SHOULD THEREFORE CAREFULLY STUDY FUTURES TRADING BEFORE YOU TRADE.
HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTSHYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE MANY INHERENT LIMITATIONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE DESCRIBED BELOW. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY COMMODITY TRADING ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFITS OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN. IN FACT, THERE ARE FREQUENTLY SHARP DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HYPOTHETICAL COMMODITY TRADING PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND THE ACTUAL RESULTS SUBSEQUENTLY ACHIEVED BY ANY PARTICULAR COMMODITY TRADING PROGRAM. ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF HYPOTHETICAL COMMODITY TRADING PERFORMANCE RESULTS IS THAT THEY ARE GENERALLY PREPARED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. IN ADDITION, HYPOTHETICAL COMMODITY TRADING DOES NOT INVOLVE FINANCIAL RISK, AND NO HYPOTHETICAL COMMODITY TRADING RECORD CAN COMPLETELY ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL RISK IN ACTUAL COMMODITY TRADING. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND LOSSES OR TO ADHERE TO A PARTICULAR COMMODITY TRADING PROGRAM IN SPITE OF TRADING LOSSES ARE MATERIAL POINTS WHICH CAN ALSO ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL COMMODITY TRADING RESULTS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER FACTORS RELATED TO THE COMMODITY MARKETS IN GENERAL OR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY SPECIFIC COMMODITY TRADING PROGRAM WHICH CAN NOT BE FULLY ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE PREPARATION OF HYPOTHETICAL COMMODITY TRADING PERFORMANCE RESULTS, AND ALL OF WHICH CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL COMMODITY TRADING RESULTS.
ADDITIONAL Ethos, Inc. DISCLOSURESAll material provided by Ethos, Inc. is believed to be reliable. However, due to the number of sources from which we obtain information, and the inherent risks of distribution, there may be omissions or inaccuracies in such information and services. Ethos, Inc. , its owners, employees, and contributors take every reasonable step to ensure the integrity of the data. However, Ethos, Inc. , its owners, employees, and contributors, cannot and will not warrant the accuracy, completeness, current ness, or fitness for a particular purpose of the information contained in our products or services. Recommendations and opinions contained in our products and services reflect judgment, as applicable, of Ethos, Inc. as of the date hereof, are subject to change, and are based upon certain assumptions that could yield different results. You are cautioned there is no universally accepted method for analyzing financial instruments, including futures. Further, there is no guarantee as to the liquidity of the instruments involved in its analysis. Neither the information nor the recommendations and opinions expressed herein constitute an offer to buy or sell any financial contracts, security, future contract, or derivative instrument. As a matter of policy, Ethos, Inc. does not give tax, accounting, regulatory, or legal advice to clients. A client should therefore consult their own advisor regarding the tax, accounting, regulatory, or legal implications of the recommended strategies before any transactions with your account. Prior to opening an account the undersigned should contact the National Futures Association to further research the risks involved with futures trading. The National Futures Association can be contacted at:
This does not imply that the National Futures Association endorses this product or any products of Ethos, Inc. . This is not an offer to buy or sell futures contracts or financial instruments of any kind. Notwithstanding any communications between Ethos, Inc. and its customers and prospects to the contrary, receipt or use of any material provided by Ethos, Inc. , at any time distributed via any method, represents acknowledgement by such persons of this disclaimer and agreement with its terms and conditions.
COMMISSION ADVISORYBeware of Websites Selling Commodity Trading Systems that Guarantee High Profits with Minimal Risks
The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the federal agency that regulates commodity futures and options markets in the United States, has witnessed an increase in the number of Internet websites fraudulently promoting commodity trading systems and advisory services. Among other things, these websites falsely claim that advertised performance results are based on real trading when, in fact, the results are based on hypothetical trading. The CFTC urges you to be skeptical when promoters of trading systems and advisory services claim that their products and services will earn high profits with minimal risks. You also should be forewarned that systems which trigger frequent trading signals as part of a daytrading strategy can result in substantial commissions and fees.
HYPOTHETICAL TRADING RESULTS CAN BE UNRELIABLEMany trading system promoters advertise their systems by reporting hypothetical trading results. Hypothetical trading results typically are based on trading simulations using historical price data or simulated "real time" computer trading. To obtain these results, trading system promoters typically pretend that they traded futures contracts at market prices that occurred some time in the past. They then calculate the trading results that these purported trades would have achieved had they been placed, based on actual historical prices. These results often show impressive trading results and large net profits with only a few, small margin calls. Whether based on historical data or simulated "real time" trading, hypothetical results do not reflect the results of any actual trading. In other words, there is no actual futures account, no actual investment, no actual trading, and no actual profits. The results are purely the product of simulation. Hypothetical trading results have several inherent limitations:
Because of these limitations, CFTC Regulations require that the presentation of hypothetical trading results be accompanied by a specific cautionary statement warning of the inherent limitations of these results.