Fair value


Fair value

In the context of futures, the equilibrium price for futures contracts. Also called the theoretical futures price, which equals the spot price continuously compounded at the cost of carry rate for some time interval. More generally, fair value for any asset simply refers to the perception that it is neither underpriced (too cheap) nor overpriced (too expensive).

Fair Market Value

A subjective estimate of what a willing buyer would pay a willing seller for a given asset, assuming both have a reasonable knowledge of the asset's worth. Fair market value is important in both law and accounting. In the former, it is often used in assessing damages as the result of a lawsuit. In the latter, determining the fair market value of an asset (e.g. after depreciation) is important to determining the amount of tax owed on it.