Front Month

What it means

The front month is usually the contract traders mean when they refer to the active market in an instrument like ES or CL.

What to watch

Volume shifts from one contract month to the next around rollover. Traders should verify they are analyzing the contract with the participation they actually care about.

Where traders usually run into this

Front Month is most useful once it is tied to a concrete page, chart decision, or workflow question.

• Continuous Contract keeps this term attached to a real glossary instead of leaving it as standalone jargon.
• Contract Roll keeps this term attached to a real glossary instead of leaving it as standalone jargon.
• Micro Contract keeps this term attached to a real glossary instead of leaving it as standalone jargon.

Best next page if this term is blocking you

If you understand the definition but still do not know what to do with it, start with Continuous Contract. That page is the fastest way to see how front month shows up in a real glossary workflow.