Commodities futures, or Futures Contracts, are an agreement to buy or sell a commodity at a specific date in the future at a specific price. Just like the price of bananas at the grocery store, the prices of commodities can change on a weekly or even daily basis. If the price goes up, the buyer of the futures contract makes money, because he gets the product at the lower, agreed-upon price and can now sell it at the higher, market price.