Using the GP screen, examine the historical prices of the agriculture futures contract . Select a time period that the contract was active.

a. Select a period in which you would have taken a long position and calculate the profit from opening and closing at the futures price at the beginning and ending dates for your selected period. Calculate the losses if you had taken a short position.

b. Select a period in which you would have taken a short position and calculate the profits from opening and closing at the futures price at the beginning and ending dates for your selected period. Calculate the losses if you had taken a long position.

c. Using the annotation bar, apply the "\% Change" tool to calculate the percentage change for your select periods, and then click the "News" icon on the annotation bar to find relevant news events on or preceding the opening date.

d. Examine the spot index for the period that your futures contract was active. The ticker for the index can be found using SECF. Use the "Chart" screen (Chart ) to create multigraphs for the prices on the futures contract and the spot price. On the Chart Menu screen, select Standard G chart; once you have loaded your securities, go to "Edit" to put your graphs in separate panels.