What are perpetual futures contracts?

A perpetual contract is a special type of futures contract, but unlike the traditional form of futures, it doesn’t have an expiry date. So one can hold a position for as long as they like. Other than that, the trading of perpetual contracts is based on an underlying Index Price. The Index Price consists of the average price of an asset, according to major spot markets and their relative trading volume.

Thus, unlike conventional futures, perpetual contracts are often traded at a price that is equal to or very similar to spot markets. However, during extreme market conditions, the marked price may deviate from the spot market price. Still, the biggest difference between the traditional futures and perpetual contracts is the ‘settlement date’ of the form