Not all futures products are available for trading in all account types. Each futures trade is $1.50 (per side, per contract, plus exchange fees), excluding bitcoin futures trades, which are $2.50 (per side, per contract, plus exchange fees). In addition to the per contract per side commission, Futures don't have day trading restrictions like the stock market--another popular day trading market. Traders can buy, sell or short sell a futures contract anytime the market is open. Futures traders also aren't required to have $25,000 in their account for day trading--the capital requirement for day trading stocks in the U.S. Here's what futures contracts are, how they work, and what you need to start trading them.