What are the characteristics of Over The Counter (OTC) commodity markets?
The OTC markets are essentially spot markets and are localised for specific commodities. Almost all the trading that takes place in these markets is delivery based. The buyers as well as the sellers have their set of brokers who negotiate the prices for them. This can be illustrated with the help of the following example: A farmer, who produces castor, wishing to sell his produce would go to the local ‘mandi.’ There he would contact his broker who would in turn contact the brokers representing the buyers. The buyers in this case would be wholesalers or refiners. In event of a deal taking place, the goods and the money would be exchanged directly between the buyer and the seller. Thus, it can be seen that this market is restricted to only those people who are directly involved with the commodity. In addition to the spot transactions, forward deals also take place in these markets. However, they too happen on a delivery basis and hence are restricted to the participants in the spot marke
