Why isn't Scottrade licensed to trade commodities?
It is an entirely different license than the license for trading stocks. It also has a different professional organization and somewhat different rules for trading.
If they DID trade there would be a huge range of issues that retail investors wouldn't want to deal with. The margins on futures contracts, even the mini contracts, are very large compared to the average person's savings. Volumes would probably not justify overhead for exchange seats, IT, licensing, etc. Any time you dabble in futures you are also at risk of taking delivery which could be a costly legal nightmare. Imagine a broker telling a client they are the new owner of a few tons of wheat and that it will be delivered to their home by truck....
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