Futures contracts are "marked to market daily. What does this mean? This means that at the end of the day, you get an accounting of what your profit or loss would be for the day if you decide to close out your position This means that at the end of the day, your actual profit or loss is transferred into or out of your account that day. This means that at the end of the day, your actual profit or loss is transferred into or out of your account in 3 to 5 business days. This means that at the end of the day, price changes are posted in the financial press but no profits or losses are booked until the trade is exted