Nearby futures contract

Nearby futures contract

When several futures contracts are considered, the contract with the closest settlement date is called the nearby futures contract. The next (or the "next out") futures contract is the one that settles just after the nearby futures contract. The contract farthest away in time from settlement is called the most distant futures contract.

Nearby Month

Among several different futures contracts or options, describing the one with the shortest maturity. For example, given three futures contracts, one expiring in March, one in June, and one in September, the nearby month contract is the one expiring in March. It is also called the spot month. See also: Most distant futures contract.