Frequently asked questions

A TRS is a contract where two parties exchange the return of a stock (or basket) without owning it. One side receives the stock’s total return (price and dividends), the other receives a financing rate. Institutions use TRS for exposure, leverage, or hedging.

Large TRS positions can drive hedging, rolling, or unwinds. When big exposures approach expiration or shift direction, dealers may hedge in the market, which can affect price and liquidity.

Swap data highlights institutional exposure via contracts that can be hundreds of millions each. It complements, rather than replaces, dark pool prints and options flow by revealing positioning that those sources do not track.

Think of a total return swap (TRS) as renting the return of a stock for a set period. Example: You enter a $1,000,000 TRS on AAPL for 3 months at a 5% annual financing rate. You receive AAPL’s total return (price change + dividends) on $1M notional, and you pay the financing rate. You don’t own the shares; it’s cash‑settled. Setup: - Notional: $1,000,000 (≈ 5,000 “implied” shares if AAPL is $200) - Term: 3 months - Financing: 5% annual → 1.25% over 3 months ($12,500) - Dividends (illustrative): ~0.5% annual → ~0.125% over 3 months ($1,250) Scenario A — AAPL up 10%: You receive ~10% + 0.125% = 10.125% of $1M (~$101,250). You pay financing (~$12,500). Net to you ≈ +$88,750 before fees. Scenario B — AAPL down 8%: You owe ~8% − 0.125% = 7.875% of $1M (~$78,750), plus financing (~$12,500). Net ≈ −$91,250 before fees. Bottom line: You’re “renting” $1M of AAPL exposure for 3 months—capturing gains or losses on that notional—without paying the full share cost. In practice, swaps involve collateral/margin and may be adjusted or rolled.

Start on the market overview, check Leaders for the largest long and short exposures, scan expiring contracts, compare up to four stocks, and drill into single-name pages for recent activity.

Notional is the dollar amount or equivalent of the contract. Quantity is the unit size of the contract, typically in shares. Active contracts are those currently active and not yet expired or terminated.

Expirations can create roll windows where positions are extended, reduced, or closed. Clusters of expirations may increase the chance of hedging flows and potential volatility.

Yes. We currently cover 5,000+ US stocks and ETFs and will continue expanding coverage.

We derive data from official, regulated reports and filings, then process it with a proprietary pipeline that maps and analyzes positions to tradable tickers and performs multi-step validation.

We update daily after market close (T+1). Intraday refresh is in development to provide more timely insights for active day traders.

Our data is derived from official, regulated sources and filings, then processed through a proprietary pipeline designed for transparency and consistency. The pipeline is built and maintained by experienced professionals with advanced education in machine learning engineering and extensive experience in software, data pipelines, and financial markets. We de‑duplicate and reconcile records, map positions to tradable tickers, run automated anomaly detection, and conduct manual reviews where needed.

Bulk export and API access are on our roadmap for power users to integrate VantaPool data into their own systems.

Active retail traders, researchers, and investors who want an edge by tracking institutional swap exposures not visible elsewhere.

Yes. You can explore a live demo. A 14 day free trial is available to new users with full coverage and advanced features.

Yes. Basket swaps and additional assets like Credit Default Swaps, Interest Rate Swaps, and Foreign Exchange Swaps are planned to broaden coverage across themes and strategies.

No. VantaPool provides market data and analytics for informational purposes. Always do your own research and consider your risk tolerance before trading.

Yes. Swaps are widely used by institutions for exposure and hedging. Our aim is to bring transparency to this activity.