• SPREAD
  • DIRECTION
  • DATA
  • HUMAN

How to calculate commodity basis with your AI

Connect your AI to live market feeds. Once connected, your agent handles the math between local quotes and exchange prices.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How do I find the basis for a commodity?

Your AI subtracts the current futures price from your local physical price to find the spread. You'll get a clear indication of whether the local market is at a premium or a discount. Here is how the process works.

The results you get

What your AI delivers

The calculation produces these specific outputs.

SPREAD

The basis value

The AI calculates the exact numerical difference between the local price and the futures price. You get the specific cent or dollar amount immediately.

DIRECTION

Premium or discount

The agent identifies if the local price is trading above or below the benchmark. This tells you the market strength at your location.

DATA

Live market comparison

The tool pulls current exchange data and compares it to your specific local quote. You get a result based on real-time market movements.

HUMAN

Final decision

The AI provides the math, but you decide if the basis justifies a trade. You retain full control over executing any orders.

The workflow

What your AI does when the request arrives.

The AI automates the heavy lifting of data retrieval and arithmetic.

  1. Fetch futures prices

    Your agent pulls the latest contract prices from the exchange to establish the benchmark.

    calculate_current_basis

  2. Process local quotes

    The AI takes the physical price you provide from your local buyer or elevator.

    calculate_current_basis

  3. Calculate the spread

    The agent performs the subtraction between the physical and futures prices.

    calculate_current_basis

  4. Identify market position

    The AI determines if the resulting basis represents a premium or a discount.

    calculate_current_basis

Try it

Copy these to start.

Paste these into your chat to begin.

Starting points

Replace the commodity names and price values with your actual market data.

Basis Calculator Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_EqiBWYAjJn0YWr3B7VwXTIOUyQfw537V4HziZZxe/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — Basis Calculator capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "basis-calculator-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_EqiBWYAjJn0YWr3B7VwXTIOUyQfw537V4HziZZxe/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Calculate the basis for corn using a local price of $4.50 and the current CME futures.

  • Is the soybean basis a premium or a discount based on my local quote of $12.20?

  • Check the basis for wheat using the latest exchange data and my local buyer's price of $6.10.

  • Compare my local corn price in Iowa to the current futures price and tell me the basis.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect Basis Calculator once, then ask.

Link the MCP to your client. Your credentials stay encrypted on our side, and you can start running calculations immediately.

Connect Basis Calculator to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI execute trades for me?

    No. The AI only performs the calculation. You must handle all trade executions and contract signings yourself.

  • 02

    Does the AI change my local price records?

    No. The AI only reads the prices you provide to perform the math. It cannot modify your external spreadsheets or databases.

  • 03

    Where does the futures price come from?

    The AI pulls the current futures price from the exchange via the tool.

  • 04

    Can I use this for any commodity?

    Yes, provided the commodity is supported by the exchange data the tool accesses.

  • 05

    Do I need to look up the futures price myself?

    No. The AI fetches the current exchange price for you.

  • More questions about Basis Calculator? The Connector page answers them. See everything the Basis Calculator Connector can do

Connect Basis Calculator to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more