ShieldPUBLIC INFORMATION / SOURCE FIRST
Futures quotes explained: contract, unit and date
A futures price describes a contract. A number alone is not enough to identify the market observation you are reading.
Read the identifier before comparing prices
Check the exchange, contract name, delivery month and quotation unit at the original source. Contract specifications define details such as contract size and delivery arrangements. The same underlying commodity can have more than one listed contract.
A continuous label needs a source check
A provider may show a generic or continuous series instead of a single dated contract. Read how that provider selects or rolls the contract before interpreting a jump in the displayed series. Shield links to the source; it does not establish a new exchange settlement price.
Keep spot and futures observations apart
Gold spot and gold futures are different series. Even when the names look similar, do not subtract their displayed numbers until you have matched the instruments, units and observation times. Use the source page to resolve an ambiguous symbol.
Read futures snapshots in Shield
- Open the Futures section of the market table, or use the futures strip above it.
- Select the return period you want to inspect.
- Check the row’s unit, source date and status.
- Follow the source link for the contract detail that is not shown in the compact table.
Understand a missing move
A percentage change needs an earlier comparable observation. If that reference is unavailable, the website should not invent a return. A newly checked cache can also contain an older source price. Use the observation timestamp for recency and the view-check timestamp for website activity.
For custom thresholds on the separate spot series, read gold price alerts. For the cache and freshness rules, read the data methodology.
Sources and reading
This guide explains public information and Shield’s interface. It does not predict prices or provide personalized investment recommendations. Editorial standards · Report a correction