Cash-and-Carry Cost Estimates in Crypto: How to Read the Data With Price Context
A cash-and-carry trade earns the futures premium only after every cost is paid. Estimating those costs first tells you whether the premium is worth taking.
Short answer
Cash-and-carry cost estimates add up everything between the quoted premium and what you keep: spot fees in and out, futures fees in and out, spread or slippage on each leg, transfer or withdrawal costs, and the opportunity cost of capital tied up as spot plus futures margin. With a 2.5% premium over 90 days and 0.24% total trading costs, the net is 2.26%, ≈ 9.2% annualised before capital cost. Read the premium with price: it tends to widen in rallies and compress in sell-offs, so entry timing changes the result.
Cost stack
| Cost | Illustrative |
|---|---|
| Spot fees (in + out) | 0.10% |
| Futures fees (in + out) | 0.10% |
| Spread / slippage | 0.04% |
| Total trading costs | 0.24% |
| Premium (90 days) | 2.50% |
| Net | 2.26% ≈ 9.2% annualised |
Price context
Related arithmetic: Annualized Futures Carry in Crypto: How to Read the Data With Price Context.
Using it
Related: Annualized Futures Carry in Crypto: How to Read the Data With Price Context, Dated Futures Premium in Crypto: How to Read the Data With Price Context.
Check cash-and-carry costs beside price in ChartsPod.
Open BTC/USDT in ChartsPodRead the premium with price: it tends to widen in rallies and compress in sell-offs, so entry timing changes the result.
See Cash-and-Carry Cost Estimates in Crypto on live data in the free ChartsPod terminal.
Open the ChartsPod terminalQuestions readers ask
What costs does cash-and-carry have?
Fees and slippage on both legs, transfers and capital cost.
Is the premium all profit?
No; net it of costs.
When is the premium widest?
Often in rallies.
Sources and methodology
Definitions follow Binance's USD-M market data documentation, Hyperliquid's funding documentation, TradingView's open-interest guide and Bybit's liquidation rules, read 17 October 2026. Examples are illustrative, not recorded market data.
- Deribit API: get_book_summary_by_currency — open interest units, mark_iv, underlying price, estimated delivery price.
- ChartsPod: product overview, pricing and FAQ — free terminal, venues, modules, no order placement; checked 17 Oct 2026.
This article explains research tools and workflows. It is not financial advice, does not recommend buying or selling any asset and does not predict prices. Crypto derivatives carry a risk of rapid and total loss of margin.
CHARTSPOD EDITORIAL EDITION · RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ONLY · NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE.