There is nearly free money on the table when ever there is a separation in price between two products that are supposed to track the same underlying. a profit equal to the spread can be easily captured by shorting the higher priced one and getting long of the lower priced one. The profit from one will always offset the loss from the other by the amount of the spread no matter where the price goes. The added supply to the high priced one, and added demand to the lower priced one, drives the prices together. Free money doesnât sit on the table very long.
Long 20, short 25
Price goes to 30.
Long PL +10.
Short PL -5.
Total PL = +5
Long 20, short 25
Price goes to 30.
Long PL +10.
Short PL -5.
Total PL = +5