bitcoin spot SO 0 : receive 0 FO 0 keep 0
example...spot SO 40 : receive 40.490889377162 FO 39
S0
: Spot price today
F0
: Futures or forward price today
T: Time until delivery date (expressed in years)
r: Risk-free interest rate for maturity T (also
expressed in years)
Therefore one can make an arbitrage profit by taking
advantage of the difference between F0
and S0
(1+r)^T
FO=40(1.05)^0.25 = 40.5
Suppose that you short the stock, receive $40, and invest the
$40 for 3 months at the risk-free rate.
At the same time, you enter into a long futures contract.
In 3 months, you must buy the stock (since you entered a
contract to buy) and you pay $39 (the futures price).
You receive from your investment $40x(1+0.05)^(3/12) = $40.49
You get to keep: $40.49 - $39 = $1.49 with no risk/investment.