{
  "assetId": "contract-expiry-settlement-comparison-v1",
  "title": "Contract, expiry, equality, and settlement comparison",
  "scope": "Generic contract mechanics. A broker-specific row requires an accepted ticket and applicable first-party terms.",
  "unknownPolicy": "If equality, boundary contact, observation timing, price source, correction, or refund treatment is not documented, publish not verified rather than inferring a rule.",
  "rows": [
    {
      "citationId": "CS-001",
      "contractFamily": "Up / Down",
      "condition": "Final reference price is compared with the accepted entry reference or strike in the selected direction.",
      "observationWindow": "Normally the stated settlement moment; confirm whether any averaging or quote window applies.",
      "expiryEvidence": "Accepted timestamp, exact expiry timestamp and timezone",
      "equalityQuestion": "What happens when final price equals the entry reference or strike?",
      "possibleTreatmentsToVerify": ["win", "loss", "tie refund", "void"],
      "settlementEvidence": "Accepted reference, final reference, result, cash return, price source, correction rule"
    },
    {
      "citationId": "CS-002",
      "contractFamily": "Touch / No Touch",
      "condition": "The result depends on whether the stated barrier is reached during the contract's observation window.",
      "observationWindow": "From the broker-defined start or acceptance point through the stated end; endpoints and quote sampling must be verified.",
      "expiryEvidence": "Observation start, exact end, barrier level and timezone",
      "equalityQuestion": "Does a quote exactly equal to the barrier count as touch, and which quote or tick is authoritative?",
      "possibleTreatmentsToVerify": ["touch at equality", "strict crossing required", "bad-tick correction", "void"],
      "settlementEvidence": "Barrier, authoritative tick or path record, observation bounds, result, cash return, correction rule"
    },
    {
      "citationId": "CS-003",
      "contractFamily": "In / Out at expiry",
      "condition": "Final reference price is evaluated against lower and upper boundaries at the settlement moment.",
      "observationWindow": "Usually the final settlement moment; confirm whether boundary contact before expiry matters.",
      "expiryEvidence": "Exact expiry, both boundaries, direction and timezone",
      "equalityQuestion": "Is a final price exactly on either boundary inside, outside, a tie, or void?",
      "possibleTreatmentsToVerify": ["boundary included", "boundary excluded", "tie refund", "void"],
      "settlementEvidence": "Both boundaries, final reference, result, cash return, price source, correction rule"
    },
    {
      "citationId": "CS-004",
      "contractFamily": "In / Out stay",
      "condition": "The result depends on whether the authoritative price path stays inside or moves outside the stated range during the observation window.",
      "observationWindow": "The complete broker-defined path from start through end; tick sampling and endpoint inclusion must be verified.",
      "expiryEvidence": "Observation start and end, both boundaries and timezone",
      "equalityQuestion": "Does touching either boundary count as leaving the range, and is a single authoritative tick sufficient?",
      "possibleTreatmentsToVerify": ["touch breaches range", "strict crossing required", "bad-tick correction", "void"],
      "settlementEvidence": "Both boundaries, authoritative path or event record, result, cash return, correction rule"
    },
    {
      "citationId": "CS-005",
      "contractFamily": "Selectable-strike digital option",
      "condition": "Final reference price is compared with a selected strike; displayed payout can change with strike distance and direction.",
      "observationWindow": "Normally the settlement moment, subject to the broker's quote and correction terms.",
      "expiryEvidence": "Accepted strike, payout, exact expiry and timezone",
      "equalityQuestion": "What result applies when final price equals the selected strike?",
      "possibleTreatmentsToVerify": ["win", "loss", "tie refund", "void"],
      "settlementEvidence": "Accepted strike and payout, final reference, result, cash return, price source, correction rule"
    },
    {
      "citationId": "CS-006",
      "contractFamily": "Clock-expiry versus timer-expiry control",
      "condition": "This is an order-control comparison rather than a distinct payoff: Clock selects an exact settlement time; Timer selects a duration whose accepted start determines the end.",
      "observationWindow": "Clock: stated absolute time. Timer: accepted start plus duration. Submission time must not be substituted for acceptance time.",
      "expiryEvidence": "Submission, acceptance, countdown or clock value, computed and displayed expiry, timezone",
      "equalityQuestion": "The underlying contract's equality rule still applies and must be checked separately.",
      "possibleTreatmentsToVerify": ["server acceptance starts timer", "displayed clock controls expiry", "rejection or requote changes acceptance"],
      "settlementEvidence": "Event sequence from submission through acceptance, expiry, result and cash return"
    }
  ],
  "comparisonWarnings": [
    "A higher payout can represent a harder strike, barrier, path, or product condition; it is not a higher probability.",
    "Countdown duration and exact clock time are not interchangeable when acceptance is delayed.",
    "A result badge without accepted terms, expiry, and price references is not enough to reconstruct settlement.",
    "Demo workflow evidence does not prove funded-account execution or withdrawal quality."
  ],
  "methodologySources": [
    { "path": "content/rankings/scoring-methodology.json", "covers": ["Payout display", "Expiry range", "Control depth", "Visibility"] },
    { "path": "scripts/build-site.mjs", "covers": ["Contract glossary definitions", "Research worksheet event chain"] }
  ]
}