The Futures Spreads page shows prices for spread quotes, as traded by the exchange. A "spread" is a contract to buy or sell multiple futures or options contracts at one time, rather than buying or selling individually.Â
The Spreads table contains the "Links" column, that offers quick access to the quote and chart page for each spread. You may also add a futures spread to a Watchlist or Portfolio, or add an alert, using the Links menu.
Futures Spread Symbol Syntax
While Futures Spread symbols do not appear in the website's symbol search, you can access spread symbol data if you know the proper syntax. The symbol for a futures spread always starts with _S (which indicates "spread"), followed by _type (see below), followed by each leg of the spread prefaced with an underscore _.
_S_type_leg1_leg2_leg3_leg4
- _S_SP_ZWU7_ZWH0
- _S_BF_ZCZ7_ZCH8_ZCK8
- _S_CF_ZSF8_ZSH8_ZSK8_ZSN8
Spread Types
A "Spread Type" is shown on the page. Spread types include:
- BFÂ - Butterfly; Three contracts within the same instrument group and with equally distributed maturity months (e.g., M8-U8-Z8). Buy 1 butterfly = buy 1 of the closer maturity leg, sell 2 of the next maturity leg, and buy 1 of the furthest maturity leg (+1:-2:+1 ratio)
- BSÂ - Bundle Spread; Calendar spread with each leg being a Bundle with different maturities. Buying 1 bundle spread = buying 1 bundle with closer maturity and selling 1 bundle with further maturity.
- CFÂ - Condor; Four contracts within the same instrument group and with consecutive quarterly maturity months (e.g. Z8-H9-M9-U9). Buy 1 condor = buy 1 of the closer month leg, sell 1 of the next maturity leg, sell 1 of the next maturity leg, and buy 1 of the furthest maturity leg (+1:-1:-1:+1 ratio)
- DFÂ - Double Butterfly; Four contracts within the same instrument group and equally distributed maturity months (e.g., Z7-H8-M8-U8). Buy 1 double butterfly = buy 1 of the closer maturity leg, sell 3 of the next maturity leg, buy 3 of the next maturity leg, sell 1 of the furthest maturity leg.
- DIÂ - Interest Rate Inter-Commodity Spread; A spread of two Interest Rate futures instruments with the same maturity but in different products and possibly different tick increments.
- ECÂ - TAS Calendar - Trade at Settlement; Intra-commodity calendar spread in the nearby month/second month spread, the second month/third month spread, and the nearby month/third month.
- EQÂ - Calendar - Equities; Two contracts within the same instrument group and with different maturity months. Buy 1 calendar = sell 1 front month leg and buy 1 back month leg, ( -1 : +1 ratio)
- FBÂ - Bundle; 8 to 40 contracts within the same instrument group and with consecutive monthly or quarterly maturity months.
- FXÂ - Calendar - Foreign Exchange; Two contracts within the Foreign Exchange instrument group and with different maturity months. Due to tick differences between the spread and the outright markets, FX Leg prices from Spread trades may be allowed at non-standard tick increments.
- IP - The Inter-Commodity Spread (ICS) calendar spread for futures (commonly known as a “box spread"). Buying an Inter-Commodity Spread buys leg1 , sells leg2, sells leg3, buys leg4 Selling an Inter-Commodity Spread sells leg1, buys leg2, buys leg3, sells leg4.
- ISÂ - Inter-commodity; Inter-Commodity spreads (IS) consist of two futures contracts of different products. Tick increments must be the same value. The expiration month does not matter.
- IVÂ - Implied Intercommodity Spread; The Implied Ratio Inter-Commodity Spread is an implied-enabled futures ratio spread involving the simultaneous purchase (sale) of two different products with the same expirations of different pre-determined ratios (e.g. 5:2). Barchart supports the following type of Interest Rates IV Spreads:
- FYT - 5Yr Note vs. 10Yr Note (3:2)
- FOB - 5Yr Note vs. Bond (3:1)
- NOB - 10Yr Note vs. Bond (2:1)
- BOB - Bond vs. Ultra Bond (2:1)
- TUT - 2Yr Note vs. 10Yr Note (2:1)
- TAF - 2Yr Note vs. 5Yr Note (3:2)
- MPÂ - Month Pack; Selling 1 pack with a later maturity and buying 4 outright contracts of the same contract month with a maturity earlier than the front month of the pack.
- PBÂ - Pack Butterfly; Consists of a butterfly spread with each of the legs being a Pack. Buy 1 pack-butterfly = buy 1 of the closer maturity pack, sell 2 of the next maturity pack, and buy 1 of the furthest maturity pack.
- PKÂ - Pack; Simultaneous purchase or sale of an equally weighted, consecutive series of four Eurodollar futures, quoted on an average net change basis from the previous days close. The Pack Spread consists of 4 contracts with the same instrument group and consecutive quarterly maturity months (M8-U9-Z9-H9) with each leg (+1:+1:+1:+1 ratio)
- PSÂ - Pack Spread; Consists of a calendar spread with each leg being a Pack with different maturities. Buy 1 pack-spread = buy 1 closer maturity Pack, sell 1 further maturity Pack.
- RI - Reduced Tick Inter-Commodity Spread
- RTÂ - Calendar - Reduced Tick; Buy1exp1 Sell1exp2. 2 contracts within the same instrument group and with different maturity months. Buy 1 calendar = buy 1 front month leg, and sell 1 back month leg (+1:-1 ratio). This spread type allows for a difference in tick size between the underlying instrument and the spread.
- SA - The Average Price Strip involves the simultaneous purchase of multiple related legs priced as the average of all included legs.
- SBÂ - Balanced Strip; A spread between two strips in the same product and of the same duration. Strips are made by buying the first expiring strip and selling the later expiring strip. The duration of each strip must be equal and each one must have 2-12 legs for a total of 4-24 individual instruments in the given Balanced Strip. After the first month of the strip from the first leg of the Balanced Spread expires, the instrument becomes an Unbalanced Spread.
- SDÂ - CME Europe Futures Calendar Spread; Two instruments within the same product group having different maturity periods. The first leg and the back leg have different expirations. For example, currency spreads change in reduced increments from the outright contract.
- SIÂ - Soybean Crush Inter-commodity Spread
- SP - Calendar - Standard; Buy1exp1 Sell1exp2. 2 contracts within the same instrument group and with different maturity months. Buy 1 calendar = buy 1 front month leg, and sell 1 back month leg (+1:-1 ratio)
- SRÂ - Strip; Simultaneous purchase (sale) of one or more contracts in delivery months within a single contract. Any delivery month can act as the first month of the Strip, as long as there are at least three following months available. Selling the Strip involves selling all months in the Strip, vice versa for buying.
- XSÂ - Energy Inter-commodity Strip; A spread between two related products, with the same durations. Strips are made by buying a strip in one product and selling a strip in another product with equivalent duration and expiration. Each of the two strips contains the identical number of months (3 through 12) for a total of 6 to 24 individual instruments. After the first month of the strip from the first leg of the Inter-commodity Strip expires, the leg becomes a “balance of” spread. The balance will continue to expire until only one expiration month is left.
