Agricultural commodity marketing and futures/options trading is offered as a specialty within the Business Option of the WIU Department of Agriculture.
These courses were developed, and are taught, by Professor Thomas P. Drinka
(resume), who has been a member of the WIU Faculty since 1982. Previously, Dr. Drinka was a Market Advisor with Corporate Farmer Ltd., and a Futures Broker with Shearson/American Express.
Following four years of development by J. Peter Steidlmayer and the Chicago Board of Trade, the CBOT Market Profile® and Liquidity Data Bank® became available to the public in 1984 (prior to that time, such information was available only to exchange members). In 1987, AGEC 457 was added to the WIU Department of Agriculture curriculum, and AGEC 458 was added in 1989; these courses are concerned with the theory and implementation of the Market Profile® format, as well as with the analysis of the following markets: agricultural commodities, softs, energy, metals, currencies, debt instruments, and equity indices.
Western Illinois University is the premiere academic institution to teach Market Profile® as part of curriculum. Additionally, Dr. Drinka has presented a 2 ½-day Market Profile® course at the Chicago Board of Trade Commodities Institute on four occasions since 1991. And, in 1990 he became the Founder of The Market Profile® Society International, a not-for-profit organization.
Due to recognition of this unique curriculum, continuing educational grants are made by the following: CQG, the CME Group, the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange, the Singapore International Monetary Exchange Ltd., and DTN. These grants -- amounting to over $US 60,000 annually -- consist of six CQG for Windows® terminals, and two DTN AgDaily quote systems, as well as all equipment and fees related to this service.
These quote systems provide -- from exchanges in Chicago, London, and Singapore
-- real-time prices as well as several charts and studies including the Chicago Board of Trade Market Profile® and Liquidity Data Bank®. Additionally, the students are provided with Strategy Runner to execute simulated--as well as "open account"--trades.
Commodity-product animated gif provided by Aspen Research Group, Ltd.
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Last Modification December 2008.