Futures and forwards are contracts that require deferred delivery of an underlying asset or cash settlement at a future date. A future is traded on an exchange and has standardized terms, while a forward is a customized over-the-counter contract. Forwards are useful when futures do not exist for a commodity or financial or when standard futures terms differ from needs. Euro-rate differentials futures contracts are tied to interest rate differentials between currencies and used to hedge currency exposures. Foreign exchange agreements allow hedging of exchange rate movements through a single cash settlement without a currency swap.