The pigs

The PIGS are Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain. Ireland are also counted to these on some occasions. These countries are said to be the weakest in the European Union.
These countries have the following characteristics:

• slow or negative economic growth
• rising unemployment 
• deteriorating public sector finances and higher government debt
• relatively high inflation or even deflation
• a high deficit in trade 
• relatively low labour productivity
• a falling part on global trade

Futures

What are they?
A future is a contract that compromises the buyer to buy an asset at a certain price at a given time in the future.
It is one of the most common types of derivatives. Usually, equity stock, commodities and currencies are the underlying ( the asset actually traded).


What is the point?
The point of these contracts is to speculate with the price of these assets and make the most profit out of that risk.
For example, coffee is one of the most traded commodities. The supply of this product is affected by many factors, of which many can be quite unpredictable. If a future contract is made, the seller will ensure that when he sells the coffee, he will have enough money to pay their bills. The buyer of the contract will be speculating about the price of coffee, and hoping to get the coffee at a lower price.

Futures on Prezi