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Contango

A futures curve where later contracts cost more than near ones. Funds that hold futures (VIX products especially) must repeatedly sell cheap expiring contracts and buy expensive later ones — the roll cost that makes long-volatility ETFs decay structurally. Backwardation is the profitable mirror image.
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Related terms

VIXThe Cboe Volatility Index: a measure of the S&P 500's expected 30-day …VolatilityThe dispersion of an asset's returns, usually measured as the annualiz…

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