Financial derivative contracts obligating the buyer to purchase, and the seller to sell, a specific quantity of an underlying stock or stock index at a predetermined price on a specified future date.

Standardized agreements traded on futures exchanges, primarily used for speculating on or hedging against anticipated changes in stock prices before the underlying asset's delivery.

Indicators of market sentiment, often quoted pre-market to predict the opening direction of major stock indices like the S&P 500 or Dow Jones.