By locking in a price now for a commodity to be delivered at some point in the future, futures markets permit buyers to secure insurance again future adverse price changes. In other words, futures markets supply a means for the mitigation of price risks. Futures charts track futures prices over time, and supply historical data that buyers and sellers can use to project where futures prices will be in the coming days or months. Frequently updated futures charts are a very useful tool for identifying pricing trends within a certain commodity.