Perpetual Future Funding Rates

Mechanism

Perpetual future funding rates are periodic payments exchanged between long and short positions in a perpetual futures contract, designed to keep the contract’s price anchored to the underlying asset’s spot price. When the perpetual future trades above spot, longs pay shorts; when it trades below, shorts pay longs. This mechanism prevents divergence and ensures the derivative’s economic alignment. The rate is typically calculated based on the difference between the perpetual future’s price and the index price. It is crucial for market equilibrium.