contango

C3O1N1T1A1N1G2O1
/kənˈtæŋɡoʊ̯//kɒn-/

noun

The situation in a futures market where prices for future delivery are higher than prices for immediate (or nearer) delivery, indicating the expectation that the price of the underlying asset will go up.

RareScrabble 11

Meanings

nouncontango (countable and uncountable, plural contangos or contangoes)

plural contangos · plural contangoes

  1. countableuncountableThe situation in a futures market where prices for future delivery are higher than prices for immediate (or nearer) delivery, indicating the expectation that the price of the underlying asset will go up.

    most of these other commodities are generally in contango

    2005, Futures Industry Magazine
  2. countableuncountableThe amount by which prices for future delivery are higher than prices for near delivery.

    Normally new buyers would go after the March silver contract, especially with such a small contango.

    2003, Bill Murphy, “Kitco Bullion Dealers”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), archived from the original on 18 Dec 2005
  3. countableobsoleteuncountableLondon Stock ExchangeFee paid by a buyer to the seller on settlement day when the buyer wishes to defer settlement until the next settlement day.

    Yesterday was Settling Day in Consols, and Monday next the Settling of Omnium. Owing to the great scarcity of money, the Contango on both is extremely great, nearly equal to 15 per cent. for money, from account to account.

    1803 February 28, “York, &c. news”, in York Herald, page 2
verbcontango (third-person singular simple present contangos, present participle contangoing, simple past and past participle contangoed)

present singular third person contangos · participle present contangoing · participle past contangoed · past contangoed

  1. ambitransitiveobsoleteLondon Stock ExchangeTo charge (a buyer) a fee to defer settlement until the next settlement day.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

The term originated in early-19th-century England, and is believed to be a corruption of continuation, continue or contingent. In the past on the London Stock Exchange, contango was a fee paid by a buyer to a seller when the buyer wished to defer settlement of the trade they had agreed. The charge was based on the interest forgone by the seller not being paid.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

contango. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contango

MLA

“contango.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contango. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “contango,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contango.

Source: contango on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.