Monday, December 1, 2008

Eurodollars Take Off

I love to trade Eurodollar (this is the interest rate instrument, not the Forex-related one) futures because they are very liquid (OI > 1,000,000 contracts) and provide one of the most reliable signals in futures. However, I must admit that I haven't the slightest idea what moves this futures instrument. It does not correlate at all with treasuries. The CME's website says that the Eurodollar represents US Dollars on deposit in banks outside the United States and that the contract is settled upon delivery at the LIBOR rate. However, it seems to operate with very little correlation to the US Dollar Index, LIBOR (except on the delivery date), or treasury interest rates. It also tends to move much more gradually than most other trading instruments, so I don't have to have a lightening-fast clicking finger to trade it.