Calendar Spread
A spread trade that is simultaneously long one contract month and short another month of the same futures product.
A calendar spread (time spread) is a position that is long one expiry and short a different expiry of the same underlying futures contract. The net exposure is to the difference in price between the two expirations, not to the outright direction of the underlying.
Calendar spreads are used for: (1) rolling an existing futures position from the front to the back month; (2) speculating on changes in the term structure (whether the market moves toward contango or backwardation); and (3) reducing margin requirements via spread credits under SPAN.
Exchange-recognized spreads execute as a single order and receive favorable margin treatment — the CME publishes spread credit tables for all major contracts.
Example
An ES trader sells ESU24 (September) / buys ESZ24 (December) as part of a quarterly roll. The spread trades at a premium (Z24 is priced above U24 in a normal contango market) — they pay the spread cost to maintain their long exposure through December expiry.
Related Terms
Back Month
Any futures contract month beyond the front month; typically less liquid and used for hedging or spread strategies.
BeginnerBasis (Futures)
The price difference between the spot (cash) price of an underlying and its corresponding futures price.
IntermediateFront Month
The nearest-expiry futures contract with the highest liquidity and trading volume at any given time.
BeginnerOpen Interest
The total number of outstanding futures contracts that have not been settled, delivered, or offset. A measure of market participation.
IntermediateRollover
Closing a near-expiry futures position and simultaneously reopening it in the next contract month to maintain exposure without taking delivery.
IntermediateVertical Spread
An options strategy involving the simultaneous buy and sell of two options of the same type and expiration but at different strikes, limiting both risk and reward.
Intermediate