Contango / Backwardation

A futures curve above the spot price (contango) or below it (backwardation). Decides whether rolling a futures position costs or earns money — the silent driver of commodity fund returns.

Where Contango / Backwardation is explained in depth

The definition above is the short version. These pages put it to work, in the order they use it most:

Calculators that compute it

Terms this definition uses

The whole glossary

Information and education only. Every page, figure and calculator on this site exists to explain how financial instruments work. Nothing here is investment, tax or legal advice, a recommendation, or a valuation you can rely on. Full disclaimer