MT4 has heep of other non-currency stuff to trade? clarify...

my mt4 platform doesn't just have currencies but also

XAUUSD (ie gold)
various indicies e.g. UK100
sugar
cocoa
USDX
other...

now, are all of the above futures contracts?? (if so, i take it mt4 is connecting to various futures exchanges, most likely in the US) . the last one -USDX - was under a 'futures' menu while the others weren't specified as futures, but maybe they still are. i don't know. just trying to make sense of WHAT IT IS. it would be great later on after mastering currency (4h frame) to be able to do similar trades/setups in the above instruments as well (more opportunities). although may not be possible for a 25k account (1% risk = $250). don't know.

They are CFDs with broker being the market maker who charges spread mark-up and financing cost(swap), though movement per point of those CFDs are much smaller than the underlying futures, also customers get the benefit of increased leverage.

bit of a dummy here, but isn't xauusd a spot price market... which means im buying gold straight away and getting it straight away. but through who? where are they keeping it? i'm not understanding the basics...and how can you say xau is underlying futures instrument, when it's spot price and not futures price? thanks

http://www.danielstrading.com/resour...osed-guide.pdf

And you may wanna ask your broker about their CFDs underlying