spot market

American  

noun

1. a market in which commodities, as grain, gold, or crude oil, are dealt in for cash and immediate delivery (futures market ).

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spot market British  

noun

1. commerce a market in which commodities, currencies, or securities are traded for immediate delivery Compare forward market

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Etymology

Origin of spot market

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Helium users, who mostly lock in supply through long-term contracts, are now scrambling for scarce short-term spot market cargoes, a bidding war that has caused prices to more than double, market watchers say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Exporters of liquefied natural gas are getting higher prices for cargoes sold on the spot market, and previous fears that a glut of LNG would hurt their prospects have all but receded.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

However, several Asian countries are already tapping the spot market to secure fuel, analysts at ANZ say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

So they had to buy power or natural gas on the spot market just as prices soared—electricity spiked to a capped price of $9,000 per megawatt-hour, way above normal power prices of around $40.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

The only possible way of making such a contract was by guaranteeing that the spot market should not fall below the price then ruling.

From The Romance and Tragedy by Russell, William Ingraham