Welcome to Corn Futures

CBOT Corn futures (ticker symbol ZC) give you an easy, liquid tool to profit from or hedge against price movements in the United States’ most widely grown crop.

Individual traders, grain elevators, farmers, investors and commercial firms are among the diverse, global participant base that trade this fully electronic contract; the most liquid and active market in grain and oilseeds, trading on average more than 350,000 contracts per day.

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Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), home of the global grain and oilseeds marketplace, is one of four U.S. exchanges operated by CME Group, the world’s largest derivatives marketplace.

Corn Futures

View Full Contract Specs

Contract Month	H, K, N, U, Z (Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Dec)
Product Symbol	ZC
Price Quotation	U.S. Dollars and Cents per bushel
Trading Hours	Sunday – Friday, 7:00 p.m. – 7:45 a.m. CT and Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. CT
Options Available	Yes
Contract Size	5,000 bushels
Minimum Tick	0.0025
Dollar Value of One Tick	$12.50

ZC Market Snapshot

Product	Last	Change	Chart	Globex Vol

Why Trade ZC Futures?

The world produced over 41 billion bushels in 2017/18, but 11 times that many bushels were traded on the futures exchange in 2017.

The USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) report offers an opportunity for traders to take a market view around the report release and then take action in the futures market.

Corn futures offer a central, transparent point of global price discovery in a market that can shift frequently based on weather conditions, politics, crop conditions, shipping and freight issues, and more.

Benefits of Trading Corn Futures (ZC)

Leading liquidity
With 350,000+ traded per day on average and OI peaking at 1.7 million, enter/exit positions with ease

Flexible trade execution
Access liquidity via the central limit order book, block trades, and RFC

Safety and security
Central clearing helps mitigate counterparty credit risk in our CFTC-regulated marketplace

Overnight electronic access
Act as market-moving global news & events unfold, in a market that trades during extended hours

Futures leverage
Control a larger notional value for a relatively small amount of money, enhancing your buying power

Key Reports/Factors that Move Markets

Weather Events Across the world, the local weather in specific growing regions may impact the supply and thus the price of corn

USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate (WASDE) Report offers a monthly comprehensive forecast that often shifts the corn market in an unexpected direction

USDA Prospective Plantings Report This report, issued in March, details the quantity and type of crop U.S. farmers intend to plant in the world’s top exporting nation for corn

Grain Stocks Reports Issued four times a year by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), these reports offer updates on stocks of corn and other major grain & oilseed crops by state and by position (on- or off-farm storage)

Crop Production Reports Weekly U.S. export report from the world’s largest exporting country for corn offers insights into global demand

Check out the "Learn about Key Economic Events" course and economic release calendar at the CME Institute to learn more.

Learn to Trade Corn Futures (ZC)

Find all the resources to get started – introductory courses, trading tools and simulators, research and market commentary - at the CME Institute:

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CME Group is the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace. The company is comprised of four Designated Contract Markets (DCMs). Further information on each exchange's rules and product listings can be found by clicking on the links to CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX.

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