COT Updates

Archive for COT Updates – Page 45

Commitment of Traders Data – Weekly Updates for the Futures Markets

COT Bonds Charts: Speculator Bets led higher by 5-Year & 2-Year Treasuries

Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) reports data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday February 20th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial hedgers) were positioned in the futures markets.

Weekly Speculator Changes led by 5-Year Bonds & 2-Year Bonds

The COT bond market speculator bets were higher this week as six out of the eight bond markets we cover had higher positioning while the other two markets had lower speculator contracts.

Leading the gains for the bond markets was the 5-Year Bonds (82,993 contracts) with the 2-Year Bonds (78,890 contracts), the Ultra 10-Year Bonds (39,667 contracts), the 10-Year Bonds (31,453 contracts), the US Treasury Bonds (18,577 contracts) and the Ultra Treasury Bonds (12,116 contracts) also showing positive weeks.

The bond markets with declines in speculator bets for the week were the SOFR 3-Months (-218,152 contracts) and the Fed Funds (-20,549 contracts).

Bonds Net Speculators Leaderboard

Legend: Weekly Speculators Change | Speculators Current Net Position | Speculators Strength Score compared to last 3-Years (0-100 range)

Strength Scores led by SOFR 3-Months & Ultra Treasury Bonds

COT Strength Scores (a normalized measure of Speculator positions over a 3-Year range, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is Extreme-Bullish and below 20 is Extreme-Bearish) showed that the SOFR 3-Months (79 percent) and the Ultra Treasury Bonds (56 percent) lead the bond markets this week. The US Treasury Bonds (50 percent) come in as the next highest in the weekly strength scores.

On the downside, the 5-Year Bonds (15 percent), the 10-Year Bonds (15 percent) and the Ultra 10-Year Bonds (16 percent) come in at the lowest strength levels currently and are in Extreme-Bearish territory (below 20 percent).

Strength Statistics:
Fed Funds (33.8 percent) vs Fed Funds previous week (38.2 percent)
2-Year Bond (23.5 percent) vs 2-Year Bond previous week (18.4 percent)
5-Year Bond (15.0 percent) vs 5-Year Bond previous week (9.7 percent)
10-Year Bond (15.0 percent) vs 10-Year Bond previous week (12.0 percent)
Ultra 10-Year Bond (15.8 percent) vs Ultra 10-Year Bond previous week (8.6 percent)
US Treasury Bond (50.5 percent) vs US Treasury Bond previous week (44.0 percent)
Ultra US Treasury Bond (55.7 percent) vs Ultra US Treasury Bond previous week (50.6 percent)
SOFR 3-Months (79.3 percent) vs SOFR 3-Months previous week (90.6 percent)

US Treasury Bonds & 2-Year Bonds top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that the US Treasury Bonds (21 percent) and the 2-Year Bonds (8 percent) lead the past six weeks trends for bonds. The 10-Year Bonds (5 percent) are the next highest positive movers in the latest trends data.

The SOFR 3-Months (-16 percent), the Fed Funds (-6 percent), the Ultra Treasury Bonds (-4 percent) and the 5-Year Bonds (-4 percent) lead the downside trend scores currently.

Strength Trend Statistics:
Fed Funds (-5.6 percent) vs Fed Funds previous week (-2.3 percent)
2-Year Bond (8.3 percent) vs 2-Year Bond previous week (3.5 percent)
5-Year Bond (-4.0 percent) vs 5-Year Bond previous week (-1.7 percent)
10-Year Bond (5.4 percent) vs 10-Year Bond previous week (6.7 percent)
Ultra 10-Year Bond (-3.1 percent) vs Ultra 10-Year Bond previous week (3.4 percent)
US Treasury Bond (21.2 percent) vs US Treasury Bond previous week (9.5 percent)
Ultra US Treasury Bond (-4.0 percent) vs Ultra US Treasury Bond previous week (-13.3 percent)
SOFR 3-Months (-16.4 percent) vs SOFR 3-Months previous week (4.2 percent)

Secured Overnight Financing Rate (3-Month) Futures:

The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (3-Month) large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 368,390 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -218,152 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 586,542 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 79.3 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 20.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 84.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

SOFR 3-Months Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	16.2	53.5	0.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	12.8	56.9	0.3
– Net Position:	368,390	-362,195	-6,195
– Gross Longs:	1,725,366	5,681,651	28,747
– Gross Shorts:	1,356,976	6,043,846	34,942
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.3 to 1	0.9 to 1	0.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	79.3	20.8	84.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-16.4	16.2	2.4

30-Day Federal Funds Futures:

The 30-Day Federal Funds large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -162,530 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -20,549 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -141,981 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 33.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 65.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 80.7 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

30-Day Federal Funds Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	13.8	70.8	1.8
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	22.1	62.2	2.1
– Net Position:	-162,530	167,802	-5,272
– Gross Longs:	271,668	1,388,807	35,047
– Gross Shorts:	434,198	1,221,005	40,319
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.1 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	33.8	65.4	80.7
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-5.6	5.4	2.3

2-Year Treasury Note Futures:

The 2-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -1,109,124 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 78,890 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,188,014 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 23.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 74.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 93.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

2-Year Treasury Note Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	9.5	80.6	6.6
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	37.0	56.3	3.4
– Net Position:	-1,109,124	980,154	128,970
– Gross Longs:	381,752	3,249,920	266,793
– Gross Shorts:	1,490,876	2,269,766	137,823
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.3 to 1	1.4 to 1	1.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	23.5	74.3	93.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	8.3	-9.4	-0.0

5-Year Treasury Note Futures:

The 5-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -1,233,300 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 82,993 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,316,293 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 15.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 85.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 81.3 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

5-Year Treasury Note Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	7.0	83.6	6.4
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	27.6	64.5	5.0
– Net Position:	-1,233,300	1,146,260	87,040
– Gross Longs:	423,001	5,017,564	386,235
– Gross Shorts:	1,656,301	3,871,304	299,195
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.3 to 1	1.3 to 1	1.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	15.0	85.7	81.3
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-4.0	10.5	-15.8

10-Year Treasury Note Futures:

The 10-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -729,066 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 31,453 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -760,519 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 15.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 79.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 88.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

10-Year Treasury Note Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	9.9	77.3	8.9
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	25.0	63.6	7.4
– Net Position:	-729,066	658,453	70,613
– Gross Longs:	477,012	3,724,770	428,886
– Gross Shorts:	1,206,078	3,066,317	358,273
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.4 to 1	1.2 to 1	1.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	15.0	79.1	88.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	5.4	-8.7	2.2

Ultra 10-Year Notes Futures:

The Ultra 10-Year Notes large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -191,039 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 39,667 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -230,706 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 15.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 88.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 59.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Ultra 10-Year Notes Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	12.1	75.6	8.9
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	20.7	62.8	13.1
– Net Position:	-191,039	283,638	-92,599
– Gross Longs:	267,786	1,672,832	196,088
– Gross Shorts:	458,825	1,389,194	288,687
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.2 to 1	0.7 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	15.8	88.0	59.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-3.1	7.8	-12.9

US Treasury Bonds Futures:

The US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -94,794 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 18,577 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -113,371 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 50.5 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 28.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 85.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

US Treasury Bonds Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	13.1	71.2	14.6
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	19.8	68.1	11.0
– Net Position:	-94,794	43,899	50,895
– Gross Longs:	185,825	1,008,905	206,932
– Gross Shorts:	280,619	965,006	156,037
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.0 to 1	1.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	50.5	28.1	85.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	21.2	-19.9	-6.4

Ultra US Treasury Bonds Futures:

The Ultra US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -322,760 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 12,116 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -334,876 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 55.7 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 44.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 56.1 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Ultra US Treasury Bonds Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	9.4	79.0	10.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	28.5	61.0	8.8
– Net Position:	-322,760	302,669	20,091
– Gross Longs:	158,142	1,333,231	168,395
– Gross Shorts:	480,902	1,030,562	148,304
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.3 to 1	1.3 to 1	1.1 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	55.7	44.6	56.1
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-4.0	6.3	-2.7

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

*COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets.

The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting). See CFTC criteria here.

24 Feb

COT Soft Commodities Charts: Speculator bets led by Lean Hogs & Cotton

By InvestMacro

Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) reports data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday February 20th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets.

Weekly Speculator Changes led by Lean Hogs & Cotton

The COT soft commodities markets speculator bets were slightly lower this week as five out of the eleven softs markets we cover had higher positioning while the other six markets had lower speculator contracts.

Leading the gains for the softs markets was Lean Hogs (14,917 contracts) with Cotton (11,158 contracts), Live Cattle (8,286 contracts), Soybeans (1,463 contracts) and Soybean Meal (14 contracts) also in the plus column for the week.

The markets with the declines in speculator bets this week were Corn (-20,128 contracts) with Wheat (-15,632 contracts), Soybean Oil (-9,325 contracts), Coffee (-4,221 contracts), Cocoa (-1,225 contracts) and Sugar (-465 contracts) also seeing lower bets on the week.

Softs Net Speculators Leaderboard

Legend: Weekly Speculators Change | Speculators Current Net Position | Speculators Strength Score compared to last 3-Years (0-100 range)

Strength Scores led by Coffee & Cotton

COT Strength Scores (a normalized measure of Speculator positions over a 3-Year range, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is Extreme-Bullish and below 20 is Extreme-Bearish) showed that Coffee (85 percent) and Cotton (80 percent) lead the softs markets this week. Cocoa (59 percent) comes in as the next highest in the weekly strength scores.

On the downside, Soybean Meal (0 percent), Corn (0 percent), Soybeans (0 percent) and Soybean Oil (3 percent) come in at the lowest strength levels currently and are in Extreme-Bearish territory (below 20 percent).

Strength Statistics:
Corn (0.0 percent) vs Corn previous week (2.5 percent)
Sugar (23.8 percent) vs Sugar previous week (23.9 percent)
Coffee (84.7 percent) vs Coffee previous week (89.0 percent)
Soybeans (0.4 percent) vs Soybeans previous week (0.0 percent)
Soybean Oil (2.5 percent) vs Soybean Oil previous week (8.3 percent)
Soybean Meal (0.0 percent) vs Soybean Meal previous week (0.0 percent)
Live Cattle (45.7 percent) vs Live Cattle previous week (36.7 percent)
Lean Hogs (43.2 percent) vs Lean Hogs previous week (31.0 percent)
Cotton (80.3 percent) vs Cotton previous week (71.9 percent)
Cocoa (59.1 percent) vs Cocoa previous week (60.3 percent)
Wheat (36.5 percent) vs Wheat previous week (47.4 percent)

Cotton & Live Cattle top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that Cotton (67 percent) and Live Cattle (42 percent) lead the past six weeks trends for soft commodities. Lean Hogs (34 percent), Coffee (11 percent) and Sugar (8 percent) are the next highest positive movers in the latest trends data.

Soybeans (-30 percent) leads the downside trend scores currently with Cocoa (-21 percent), Soybean Meal (-19 percent) and Corn (-11 percent) following next with lower trend scores.

Strength Trend Statistics:
Corn (-11.5 percent) vs Corn previous week (-12.3 percent)
Sugar (8.2 percent) vs Sugar previous week (6.3 percent)
Coffee (10.5 percent) vs Coffee previous week (17.1 percent)
Soybeans (-29.6 percent) vs Soybeans previous week (-33.9 percent)
Soybean Oil (-2.9 percent) vs Soybean Oil previous week (4.9 percent)
Soybean Meal (-19.3 percent) vs Soybean Meal previous week (-32.5 percent)
Live Cattle (41.5 percent) vs Live Cattle previous week (24.7 percent)
Lean Hogs (33.7 percent) vs Lean Hogs previous week (24.7 percent)
Cotton (67.1 percent) vs Cotton previous week (58.9 percent)
Cocoa (-21.2 percent) vs Cocoa previous week (-20.0 percent)
Wheat (-7.8 percent) vs Wheat previous week (3.2 percent)

Individual Soft Commodities Markets:

CORN Futures:

The CORN large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -266,067 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -20,128 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -245,939 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 97.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

CORN Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	17.6	46.1	10.1
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	34.3	28.5	11.2
– Net Position:	-266,067	282,468	-16,401
– Gross Longs:	282,549	738,256	162,300
– Gross Shorts:	548,616	455,788	178,701
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.5 to 1	1.6 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	0.0	100.0	97.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-11.5	11.3	6.9

SUGAR Futures:

The SUGAR large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 91,690 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -465 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 92,155 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 23.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 79.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.3 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

SUGAR Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	21.7	54.3	8.4
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	10.9	65.8	7.7
– Net Position:	91,690	-97,693	6,003
– Gross Longs:	184,174	461,062	71,375
– Gross Shorts:	92,484	558,755	65,372
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.0 to 1	0.8 to 1	1.1 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	23.8	79.5	10.3
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	8.2	-4.9	-9.1

COFFEE Futures:

The COFFEE large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 55,863 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -4,221 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 60,084 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 84.7 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 23.8 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

COFFEE Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	38.2	36.2	3.6
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	11.1	63.6	3.2
– Net Position:	55,863	-56,600	737
– Gross Longs:	78,875	74,712	7,412
– Gross Shorts:	23,012	131,312	6,675
– Long to Short Ratio:	3.4 to 1	0.6 to 1	1.1 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	84.7	19.6	23.8
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	10.5	-8.8	-18.5

SOYBEANS Futures:

The SOYBEANS large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -160,288 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 1,463 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -161,751 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 77.3 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

SOYBEANS Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	12.5	59.2	6.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	32.5	37.8	7.9
– Net Position:	-160,288	171,748	-11,460
– Gross Longs:	100,976	476,364	52,352
– Gross Shorts:	261,264	304,616	63,812
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.4 to 1	1.6 to 1	0.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	0.4	100.0	77.3
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-29.6	28.1	10.0

SOYBEAN OIL Futures:

The SOYBEAN OIL large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -33,941 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -9,325 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -24,616 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 2.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 98.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.8 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

SOYBEAN OIL Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	19.4	48.8	5.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	25.5	43.0	4.8
– Net Position:	-33,941	32,527	1,414
– Gross Longs:	107,910	271,182	27,829
– Gross Shorts:	141,851	238,655	26,415
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.8 to 1	1.1 to 1	1.1 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	2.5	98.8	18.8
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-2.9	2.7	-0.5

SOYBEAN MEAL Futures:

The SOYBEAN MEAL large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -45,453 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 14 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -45,467 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 29.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

SOYBEAN MEAL Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	17.4	49.4	9.6
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	26.5	43.6	6.3
– Net Position:	-45,453	29,150	16,303
– Gross Longs:	87,267	247,497	47,872
– Gross Shorts:	132,720	218,347	31,569
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.1 to 1	1.5 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	0.0	100.0	29.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-19.3	17.7	13.4

LIVE CATTLE Futures:

The LIVE CATTLE large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 61,880 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 8,286 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 53,594 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 45.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 52.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 64.4 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

LIVE CATTLE Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	36.6	36.7	10.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	15.3	56.3	12.3
– Net Position:	61,880	-57,126	-4,754
– Gross Longs:	106,475	106,523	30,961
– Gross Shorts:	44,595	163,649	35,715
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.4 to 1	0.7 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	45.7	52.9	64.4
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	41.5	-41.3	-24.8

LEAN HOGS Futures:

The LEAN HOGS large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 16,496 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 14,917 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 1,579 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 43.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 59.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 61.4 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

LEAN HOGS Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	36.7	36.2	8.4
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	29.4	41.3	10.6
– Net Position:	16,496	-11,597	-4,899
– Gross Longs:	82,762	81,580	18,963
– Gross Shorts:	66,266	93,177	23,862
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.2 to 1	0.9 to 1	0.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	43.2	59.4	61.4
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	33.7	-36.3	1.1

COTTON Futures:

The COTTON large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 95,093 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 11,158 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 83,935 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 80.3 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 20.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 67.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

COTTON Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	44.6	33.4	6.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	8.7	72.4	3.1
– Net Position:	95,093	-103,497	8,404
– Gross Longs:	118,288	88,447	16,722
– Gross Shorts:	23,195	191,944	8,318
– Long to Short Ratio:	5.1 to 1	0.5 to 1	2.0 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	80.3	20.2	67.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	67.1	-66.4	53.6

COCOA Futures:

The COCOA large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 48,126 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -1,225 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 49,351 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 59.1 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 39.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 50.3 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

COCOA Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	35.9	30.5	6.4
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	16.6	51.5	4.6
– Net Position:	48,126	-52,597	4,471
– Gross Longs:	89,680	76,177	15,889
– Gross Shorts:	41,554	128,774	11,418
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.2 to 1	0.6 to 1	1.4 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	59.1	39.2	50.3
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-21.2	14.9	50.3

WHEAT Futures:

The WHEAT large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -44,639 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -15,632 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -29,007 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 36.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 63.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 44.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

WHEAT Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	31.3	36.8	7.9
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	42.6	24.3	9.2
– Net Position:	-44,639	49,606	-4,967
– Gross Longs:	124,169	145,807	31,337
– Gross Shorts:	168,808	96,201	36,304
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.5 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	36.5	63.6	44.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-7.8	5.3	17.7

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Financial News Soft Commodities

24 Feb

COT Stock Market Charts: Speculator Bets led by VIX & Russell-Mini

By InvestMacro

Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday February 20th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets.

Weekly Speculator Changes led by VIX & Russell-Mini

The COT stock markets speculator bets were lower this week as just two out of the seven stock markets we cover had higher positioning while the other five markets had lower speculator contracts.

Leading the gains for the stock markets was the VIX (11,895 contracts) with the Russell-Mini (246 contracts) also showing a small positive week.

The markets with the declines in speculator bets this week were the Nasdaq-Mini (-6,515 contracts), the DowJones-Mini (-3,641 contracts), the S&P500-Mini (-2,752 contracts), the MSCI EAFE-Mini (-3,346 contracts) and the Nikkei 225 (-332 contracts).

Stock Net Speculators Leaderboard

Legend: Weekly Speculators Change | Speculators Current Net Position | Speculators Strength Score compared to last 3-Years (0-100 range)

Strength Scores led by DowJones-Mini & VIX

COT Strength Scores (a normalized measure of Speculator positions over a 3-Year range, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is Extreme-Bullish and below 20 is Extreme-Bearish) showed that the DowJones-Mini (88 percent) and the VIX (80 percent) lead the stock markets this week. The Nasdaq-Mini (79 percent) and Russell-Mini (68 percent) come in as the next highest in the weekly strength scores.

On the downside, the S&P500-Mini (32 percent) comes in at the lowest strength level currently followed by the MSCI EAFE-Mini at 34 percent.

Strength Statistics:
VIX (79.9 percent) vs VIX previous week (70.4 percent)
S&P500-Mini (32.2 percent) vs S&P500-Mini previous week (32.6 percent)
DowJones-Mini (87.5 percent) vs DowJones-Mini previous week (93.4 percent)
Nasdaq-Mini (78.8 percent) vs Nasdaq-Mini previous week (88.9 percent)
Russell2000-Mini (67.9 percent) vs Russell2000-Mini previous week (67.7 percent)
Nikkei USD (40.2 percent) vs Nikkei USD previous week (42.5 percent)
EAFE-Mini (34.1 percent) vs EAFE-Mini previous week (37.6 percent)

VIX & MSCI EAFE-Mini top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that the VIX (4 percent) leads the past six weeks trends and is the only positive mover for the stock markets this week.

The Russell-Mini (-32 percent) leads the downside trend scores currently with the Nasdaq-Mini (-17 percent) coming in as the next lowest market for trend scores.

Strength Trend Statistics:
VIX (4.1 percent) vs VIX previous week (-4.8 percent)
S&P500-Mini (-15.1 percent) vs S&P500-Mini previous week (-0.3 percent)
DowJones-Mini (-12.0 percent) vs DowJones-Mini previous week (1.3 percent)
Nasdaq-Mini (-17.4 percent) vs Nasdaq-Mini previous week (-10.8 percent)
Russell2000-Mini (-32.1 percent) vs Russell2000-Mini previous week (-16.7 percent)
Nikkei USD (-7.5 percent) vs Nikkei USD previous week (0.2 percent)
EAFE-Mini (-2.1 percent) vs EAFE-Mini previous week (9.2 percent)

Individual Stock Market Charts:

VIX Volatility Futures:

The VIX Volatility large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -39,071 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 11,895 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -50,966 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 79.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 73.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

VIX Volatility Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	21.9	44.8	7.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	33.3	32.0	8.8
– Net Position:	-39,071	43,488	-4,417
– Gross Longs:	74,671	152,747	25,470
– Gross Shorts:	113,742	109,259	29,887
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.4 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	79.9	19.1	73.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	4.1	-6.0	13.6

S&P500 Mini Futures:

The S&P500 Mini large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -218,530 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -2,752 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -215,778 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 32.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 59.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 67.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

S&P500 Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	11.7	74.1	11.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	21.1	68.0	8.0
– Net Position:	-218,530	143,353	75,177
– Gross Longs:	271,870	1,722,121	262,112
– Gross Shorts:	490,400	1,578,768	186,935
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.1 to 1	1.4 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	32.2	59.7	67.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-15.1	17.6	-10.4

Dow Jones Mini Futures:

The Dow Jones Mini large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 16,728 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -3,641 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 20,369 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 87.5 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 54.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Dow Jones Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	31.5	52.3	14.4
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	15.2	70.8	12.3
– Net Position:	16,728	-18,898	2,170
– Gross Longs:	32,293	53,584	14,754
– Gross Shorts:	15,565	72,482	12,584
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.1 to 1	0.7 to 1	1.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	87.5	10.8	54.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-12.0	9.5	4.0

Nasdaq Mini Futures:

The Nasdaq Mini large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 25,561 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -6,515 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 32,076 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 78.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 16.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 95.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Nasdaq Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	32.2	51.8	14.8
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	23.3	63.0	12.4
– Net Position:	25,561	-32,432	6,871
– Gross Longs:	92,445	148,596	42,460
– Gross Shorts:	66,884	181,028	35,589
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.4 to 1	0.8 to 1	1.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	78.8	16.9	95.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-17.4	11.1	2.8

Russell 2000 Mini Futures:

The Russell 2000 Mini large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -24,205 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 246 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -24,451 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 67.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 33.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 44.1 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Russell 2000 Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	11.7	81.0	6.1
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	16.5	77.1	5.2
– Net Position:	-24,205	19,727	4,478
– Gross Longs:	59,033	407,623	30,904
– Gross Shorts:	83,238	387,896	26,426
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.1 to 1	1.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	67.9	33.1	44.1
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-32.1	33.1	-21.9

Nikkei Stock Average (USD) Futures:

The Nikkei Stock Average (USD) large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -3,720 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -332 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,388 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 40.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 48.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 63.1 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Nikkei Stock Average Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	10.8	64.9	24.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	32.5	52.5	14.9
– Net Position:	-3,720	2,124	1,596
– Gross Longs:	1,852	11,121	4,156
– Gross Shorts:	5,572	8,997	2,560
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.3 to 1	1.2 to 1	1.6 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	40.2	48.8	63.1
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-7.5	2.4	10.8

MSCI EAFE Mini Futures:

The MSCI EAFE Mini large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -31,202 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -3,346 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -27,856 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 34.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 63.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 45.1 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

MSCI EAFE Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	8.6	87.9	3.2
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	15.7	82.1	1.9
– Net Position:	-31,202	25,565	5,637
– Gross Longs:	37,822	386,072	14,132
– Gross Shorts:	69,024	360,507	8,495
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.5 to 1	1.1 to 1	1.7 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	34.1	63.3	45.1
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-2.1	2.7	-2.5

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Financial News Stock Market News

24 Feb

Speculator Extremes: Mexican Peso, GBP, Corn & Soybeans lead Bullish & Bearish Positions

By InvestMacro

The latest update for the weekly Commitment of Traders (COT) report was released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday for data ending on February 20th.

This weekly Extreme Positions report highlights the Most Bullish and Most Bearish Positions for the speculator category. Extreme positioning in these markets can foreshadow strong moves in the underlying market.

To signify an extreme position, we use the Strength Index (also known as the COT Index) of each instrument, a common method of measuring COT data. The Strength Index is simply a comparison of current trader positions against the range of positions over the previous 3 years. We use over 80 percent as extremely bullish and under 20 percent as extremely bearish. (Compare Strength Index scores across all markets in the data table or cot leaders table)

Here Are This Week’s Most Bullish Speculator Positions:

Mexican Peso

The Mexican Peso speculator position comes in as the most bullish extreme standing this week. The Mexican Peso speculator level is currently at a 97.3 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the percent strength score totaled 4.6 this week. The overall net speculator position was a total of 95,995 contracts this week with a decline of -4,449 contract in the weekly speculator bets.

Speculators or Non-Commercials Notes:

Speculators, classified as non-commercial traders by the CFTC, are made up of large commodity funds, hedge funds and other significant for-profit participants. The Specs are generally regarded as trend-followers in their behavior towards price action – net speculator bets and prices tend to go in the same directions. These traders often look to buy when prices are rising and sell when prices are falling. To illustrate this point, many times speculator contracts can be found at their most extremes (bullish or bearish) when prices are also close to their highest or lowest levels.

These extreme levels can be dangerous for the large speculators as the trade is most crowded, there is less trading ammunition still sitting on the sidelines to push the trend further and prices have moved a significant distance. When the trend becomes exhausted, some speculators take profits while others look to also exit positions when prices fail to continue in the same direction. This process usually plays out over many months to years and can ultimately create a reverse effect where prices start to fall and speculators start a process of selling when prices are falling.

British Pound Sterling

The British Pound speculator position comes next in the extreme standings this week. The British Pound speculator level is now at a 87.9 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the percent strength score was 17.8 this week. The speculator position registered 46,312 net contracts this week with a weekly fall of -4,160 contracts in speculator bets.

DowJones Mini

The DowJones Mini speculator position comes in third this week in the extreme standings. The DowJones Mini speculator level resides at a 87.5 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score came in at -12.0 this week. The overall speculator position was 16,728 net contracts this week with a decrease of -3,641 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Steel

The Steel speculator position comes up number four in the extreme standings this week. The Steel speculator level is at a 86.0 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score totaled a change of -4.7 this week. The overall speculator position was -2,701 net contracts this week with a dip of -518 contracts in the speculator bets.

Brent Oil

The Brent Oil speculator position rounds out the top five in this week’s bullish extreme standings. The Brent Oil speculator level sits at a 85.8 percent score of its 3-year range. The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was 10.9 this week.

The speculator position was -13,856 net contracts this week with a gain of 1,589 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

This Week’s Most Bearish Speculator Positions:

Corn

The Corn speculator position comes in as the most bearish extreme standing this week. The Corn speculator level is at a 0.0 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -11.5 this week. The overall speculator position was -266,067 net contracts this week with a drop of -20,128 contracts in the speculator bets.

Soybean Meal

The Soybean Meal speculator position comes in next for the most bearish extreme standing on the week. The Soybean Meal speculator level is at a 0.0 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -19.3 this week. The speculator position was -45,453 net contracts this week with a edge higher by 14 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Soybeans

The Soybeans speculator position comes in as third most bearish extreme standing of the week. The Soybeans speculator level resides at a 0.4 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -29.6 this week. The overall speculator position was -160,288 net contracts this week with a small increase of 1,463 contracts in the speculator bets.

Soybean Oil

The Soybean Oil speculator position comes in as this week’s fourth most bearish extreme standing. The Soybean Oil speculator level is at a 2.5 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -2.9 this week. The speculator position was -33,941 net contracts this week with a drop of -9,325 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Japanese Yen

Finally, the Japanese Yen speculator position comes in as the fifth most bearish extreme standing for this week. The Japanese Yen speculator level is at a 6.3 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -43.4 this week. The speculator position was -120,778 net contracts this week with a decrease of -9,242 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Opinions

18 Feb

FX Speculators push British Pound bullish bets to 25-week high

By InvestMacro

Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday February 13th and shows a quick view of how large market participants (for-profit speculators and commercial traders) were positioned in the futures markets. All currency positions are in direct relation to the US dollar where, for example, a bet for the euro is a bet that the euro will rise versus the dollar while a bet against the euro will be a bet that the euro will decline versus the dollar.

Weekly Speculator Changes led by British Pound Sterling & Mexican Peso

The COT currency market speculator bets were slightly lower this week as five out of the eleven currency markets we cover had higher positioning while the other six markets had lower speculator contracts.

Leading the gains for the currency markets was the British Pound (15,997 contracts) with the Mexican Peso (13,615 contracts), the New Zealand Dollar (2,577 contracts), Canadian Dollar (2,254 contracts) and the US Dollar Index (463 contracts) also having positive weeks.

The currencies seeing declines in speculator bets on the week were the Japanese Yen (-27,306 contracts), the EuroFX (-9,315 contracts), the Australian Dollar (-7,163 contracts), the Swiss Franc (-447 contracts), the Brazilian Real (-314 contracts) and Bitcoin (-398 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week.

FX Speculators push British Pound bullish bets to 25-week high

Highlighting the COT currency’s data is the continued rise in the speculator’s positioning of the British Pound Sterling.

Large speculative Sterling positions rose this week by almost +16,000 contracts and have gained in seven consecutive weeks. The Sterling speculative level has added a total of +36,380 contracts to the net position over these last seven weeks and has brought the net level from a total of +14,092 contracts on December 26th to this week’s currently standing of +50,472 contracts. This marks the most bullish position for the GBP speculators since August 22nd, a span of twenty-five weeks.

The Pound Sterling exchange rate (GBPUSD currency pair) against the US Dollar has been oscillating around the 1.2500 exchange level over the past week despite recent downbeat economic news. The UK economy has recently dipped into a technical recession with declining GDP in both the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2023. However, with inflation still high, traders and market watchers still see the Bank of England holding their interest rates at high levels which could provide support for the UK currency.

The Pound exchange continues to be in a weekly uptrend since a recent dive in October when prices were falling and dipped as low as 1.2050. The currency has also come down from the most recent high levels of the current uptrend (topping out around 1.2800) and has now settled in right above the 200-day moving average with this week’s close trading at 1.2609.

Speculators Leaderboard

Legend: Weekly Speculators Change | Speculators Current Net Position | Speculators Strength Score compared to last 3-Years (0-100 range)

Strength Scores led by Mexican Peso & British Pound

COT Strength Scores (a normalized measure of Speculator positions over a 3-Year range, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is Extreme-Bullish and below 20 is Extreme-Bearish) showed that the Mexican Peso (100 percent) and the British Pound (91 percent) lead the currency markets this week. The New Zealand Dollar (64 percent), Brazilian Real (60 percent) and the Canadian Dollar (54 percent) come in as the next highest in the weekly strength scores.

On the downside, the Japanese Yen (12 percent) and the Australian Dollar (16 percent) come in at the lowest strength levels currently and are in Extreme-Bearish territory (below 20 percent). The next lowest strength scores are the US Dollar Index (27 percent) and Bitcoin (37 percent).

Strength Statistics:
US Dollar Index (26.9 percent) vs US Dollar Index previous week (26.1 percent)
EuroFX (42.8 percent) vs EuroFX previous week (46.8 percent)
British Pound Sterling (90.8 percent) vs British Pound Sterling previous week (79.7 percent)
Japanese Yen (11.8 percent) vs Japanese Yen previous week (29.0 percent)
Swiss Franc (41.8 percent) vs Swiss Franc previous week (43.0 percent)
Canadian Dollar (54.5 percent) vs Canadian Dollar previous week (52.6 percent)
Australian Dollar (16.5 percent) vs Australian Dollar previous week (23.0 percent)
New Zealand Dollar (64.3 percent) vs New Zealand Dollar previous week (57.6 percent)
Mexican Peso (100.0 percent) vs Mexican Peso previous week (91.7 percent)
Brazilian Real (59.6 percent) vs Brazilian Real previous week (60.0 percent)
Bitcoin (37.5 percent) vs Bitcoin previous week (43.5 percent)

British Pound & Canadian Dollar top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that the British Pound (24 percent) and the Canadian Dollar (13 percent) lead the past six weeks trends for the currencies. The New Zealand Dollar (10 percent), the Mexican Peso (7 percent) and the Bitcoin (5 percent) are the next highest positive movers in the latest trends data.

The Japanese Yen (-34 percent) leads the downside trend scores currently with the Australian Dollar (-33 percent), the EuroFX (-28 percent) and the Brazilian Real (-19 percent) following next with lower trend scores.

Strength Trend Statistics:
US Dollar Index (-0.7 percent) vs US Dollar Index previous week (-2.7 percent)
EuroFX (-28.4 percent) vs EuroFX previous week (-23.5 percent)
British Pound Sterling (24.5 percent) vs British Pound Sterling previous week (14.1 percent)
Japanese Yen (-34.2 percent) vs Japanese Yen previous week (-18.0 percent)
Swiss Franc (-2.3 percent) vs Swiss Franc previous week (-6.1 percent)
Canadian Dollar (13.1 percent) vs Canadian Dollar previous week (22.6 percent)
Australian Dollar (-33.0 percent) vs Australian Dollar previous week (-18.8 percent)
New Zealand Dollar (10.3 percent) vs New Zealand Dollar previous week (11.7 percent)
Mexican Peso (6.9 percent) vs Mexican Peso previous week (-0.6 percent)
Brazilian Real (-19.4 percent) vs Brazilian Real previous week (-31.9 percent)
Bitcoin (4.5 percent) vs Bitcoin previous week (11.7 percent)

Individual COT Forex Markets:

US Dollar Index Futures:

The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 2,002 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 463 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 1,539 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 26.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 73.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 24.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	65.5	15.3	11.4
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	59.2	25.1	7.8
– Net Position:	2,002	-3,179	1,177
– Gross Longs:	21,096	4,916	3,675
– Gross Shorts:	19,094	8,095	2,498
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.1 to 1	0.6 to 1	1.5 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	26.9	73.2	24.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-0.7	-2.6	23.1

Euro Currency Futures:

The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 52,838 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -9,315 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 62,153 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 42.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 62.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

EURO Currency Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	28.5	59.1	10.4
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	21.3	68.8	7.8
– Net Position:	52,838	-72,264	19,426
– Gross Longs:	210,848	437,266	76,997
– Gross Shorts:	158,010	509,530	57,571
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.3 to 1	0.9 to 1	1.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	42.8	62.2	10.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-28.4	31.9	-29.5

British Pound Sterling Futures:

The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 50,472 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 15,997 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 34,475 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 90.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 51.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

BRITISH POUND Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	45.5	36.3	12.6
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	20.1	59.9	14.4
– Net Position:	50,472	-46,883	-3,589
– Gross Longs:	90,545	72,289	25,127
– Gross Shorts:	40,073	119,172	28,716
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.3 to 1	0.6 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	90.8	19.4	51.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	24.5	-16.6	-11.1

Japanese Yen Futures:

The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -111,536 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -27,306 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -84,230 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 11.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 88.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 71.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

JAPANESE YEN Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	19.2	63.7	14.2
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	55.8	25.9	15.4
– Net Position:	-111,536	115,172	-3,636
– Gross Longs:	58,554	194,067	43,189
– Gross Shorts:	170,090	78,895	46,825
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.3 to 1	2.5 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	11.8	88.8	71.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-34.2	37.0	-16.8

Swiss Franc Futures:

The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -6,014 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -447 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -5,567 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 41.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 60.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 36.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

SWISS FRANC Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	23.0	58.4	18.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	34.0	31.0	34.8
– Net Position:	-6,014	15,080	-9,066
– Gross Longs:	12,689	32,148	10,071
– Gross Shorts:	18,703	17,068	19,137
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.9 to 1	0.5 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	41.8	60.2	36.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-2.3	23.8	-46.0

Canadian Dollar Futures:

The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -5,482 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 2,254 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -7,736 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 54.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 55.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	22.1	57.1	18.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	25.5	52.8	19.6
– Net Position:	-5,482	6,958	-1,476
– Gross Longs:	35,698	92,188	30,243
– Gross Shorts:	41,180	85,230	31,719
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.9 to 1	1.1 to 1	1.0 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	54.5	55.8	19.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bullish	Bearish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	13.1	-0.9	-31.7

Australian Dollar Futures:

The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -78,976 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -7,163 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -71,813 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 16.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 85.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 23.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	23.8	64.4	9.2
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	63.4	18.8	15.2
– Net Position:	-78,976	90,985	-12,009
– Gross Longs:	47,405	128,465	18,320
– Gross Shorts:	126,381	37,480	30,329
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.4 to 1	3.4 to 1	0.6 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	16.5	85.7	23.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-33.0	45.8	-60.0

New Zealand Dollar Futures:

The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 3,407 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 2,577 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 830 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 64.3 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 34.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 66.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	46.9	37.5	11.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	38.8	48.2	8.9
– Net Position:	3,407	-4,505	1,098
– Gross Longs:	19,632	15,668	4,819
– Gross Shorts:	16,225	20,173	3,721
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.2 to 1	0.8 to 1	1.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	64.3	34.4	66.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	10.3	-4.7	-23.8

Mexican Peso Futures:

The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 100,444 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 13,615 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 86,829 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 40.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

MEXICAN PESO Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	55.5	38.7	2.8
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	17.6	78.3	1.1
– Net Position:	100,444	-105,042	4,598
– Gross Longs:	147,176	102,632	7,407
– Gross Shorts:	46,732	207,674	2,809
– Long to Short Ratio:	3.1 to 1	0.5 to 1	2.6 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	100.0	0.0	40.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	6.9	-7.5	8.7

Brazilian Real Futures:

The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 19,348 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -314 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 19,662 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 59.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 39.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 52.8 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

BRAZIL REAL Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	58.6	35.4	5.8
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	23.8	73.7	2.2
– Net Position:	19,348	-21,321	1,973
– Gross Longs:	32,621	19,693	3,211
– Gross Shorts:	13,273	41,014	1,238
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.5 to 1	0.5 to 1	2.6 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	59.6	39.4	52.8
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-19.4	19.4	-3.7

Bitcoin Futures:

The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -1,921 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -398 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,523 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 37.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 94.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 30.4 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

BITCOIN Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	77.3	6.1	7.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	85.1	1.5	3.9
– Net Position:	-1,921	1,152	769
– Gross Longs:	19,147	1,514	1,725
– Gross Shorts:	21,068	362	956
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.9 to 1	4.2 to 1	1.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	37.5	94.0	30.4
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	4.5	-2.1	-5.0

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Forex and Currency News Opinions

18 Feb

COT Metals Charts: Speculator bets led lower by Gold & Copper

By InvestMacro

Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday February 13th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets.

Weekly Speculator bets led lower by Gold & Copper

The COT metals markets speculator bets were lower this week as all six metals markets we cover had lower speculator contracts.

Leading the declines for the metals was Gold (-30,570 contracts) with Copper (-18,987 contracts), Platinum (-7,596 contracts), Silver (-4,455 contracts), Palladium (-2,509 contracts) and Steel (-587 contracts) also recording lower bets on the week.

Speculators Leaderboard

Legend: Weekly Speculators Change | Speculators Current Net Position | Speculators Strength Score compared to last 3-Years (0-100 range)

Strength Scores led by Steel & Silver

On the downside, Palladium (0 percent) and Copper (3 percent) comes in at the lowest strength level currently and are in Extreme-Bearish territory (below 20 percent).

Strength Statistics:
Gold (35.6 percent) vs Gold previous week (49.3 percent)
Silver (38.4 percent) vs Silver previous week (45.2 percent)
Copper (2.7 percent) vs Copper previous week (19.8 percent)
Platinum (20.8 percent) vs Platinum previous week (39.0 percent)
Palladium (0.0 percent) vs Palladium previous week (15.1 percent)
Steel (88.0 percent) vs Palladium previous week (90.2 percent)

Steel & Silver top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that all the metals have negative 6-week trend scores currently.

Platinum (-65 percent) leads the downside trend scores with Copper (-37 percent) and Gold (-34 percent) as the next market with the lowest trend scores.

Move Statistics:
Gold (-34.4 percent) vs Gold previous week (-20.7 percent)
Silver (-30.7 percent) vs Silver previous week (-22.8 percent)
Copper (-37.2 percent) vs Copper previous week (-18.7 percent)
Platinum (-65.0 percent) vs Platinum previous week (-33.9 percent)
Palladium (-32.3 percent) vs Palladium previous week (-19.3 percent)
Steel (-12.0 percent) vs Steel previous week (-6.6 percent)

Individual Markets:

Gold Comex Futures:

The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 131,168 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -30,570 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 161,738 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 35.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 62.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 44.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Gold Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	51.7	26.0	10.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	20.5	62.4	5.3
– Net Position:	131,168	-152,980	21,812
– Gross Longs:	217,505	109,529	44,228
– Gross Shorts:	86,337	262,509	22,416
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.5 to 1	0.4 to 1	2.0 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	35.6	62.9	44.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-34.4	33.7	-19.3

Silver Comex Futures:

The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 12,425 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -4,455 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 16,880 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 38.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 56.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 62.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Silver Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	37.2	31.2	21.1
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	29.1	50.6	9.8
– Net Position:	12,425	-29,688	17,263
– Gross Longs:	56,785	47,556	32,154
– Gross Shorts:	44,360	77,244	14,891
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.3 to 1	0.6 to 1	2.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	38.4	56.3	62.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-30.7	26.3	-4.0

Copper Grade #1 Futures:

The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -32,697 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -18,987 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -13,710 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 2.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 96.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 32.8 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Copper Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	30.3	39.0	6.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	43.0	27.2	5.8
– Net Position:	-32,697	30,426	2,271
– Gross Longs:	78,229	100,413	17,289
– Gross Shorts:	110,926	69,987	15,018
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.4 to 1	1.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	2.7	96.8	32.8
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-37.2	34.8	-4.7

Platinum Futures:

The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 1,938 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -7,596 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 9,534 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 20.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 75.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 52.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Platinum Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	54.1	25.6	11.1
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	52.0	34.5	4.4
– Net Position:	1,938	-8,229	6,291
– Gross Longs:	50,318	23,849	10,369
– Gross Shorts:	48,380	32,078	4,078
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.0 to 1	0.7 to 1	2.5 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	20.8	75.7	52.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-65.0	52.6	33.0

Palladium Futures:

The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -13,511 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -2,509 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -11,002 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 69.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

Palladium Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	15.5	52.8	8.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	64.0	6.0	6.6
– Net Position:	-13,511	13,042	469
– Gross Longs:	4,317	14,720	2,308
– Gross Shorts:	17,828	1,678	1,839
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.2 to 1	8.8 to 1	1.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	0.0	100.0	69.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-32.3	28.3	33.9

Steel Futures Futures:

The Steel Futures large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -2,183 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -587 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,596 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 88.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 12.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 57.1 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Steel Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	12.9	81.2	1.6
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	22.0	73.1	0.6
– Net Position:	-2,183	1,957	226
– Gross Longs:	3,117	19,560	379
– Gross Shorts:	5,300	17,603	153
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.1 to 1	2.5 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	88.0	12.1	57.1
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-12.0	12.1	-2.3

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Financial News Metals

18 Feb

COT Bonds Charts: Speculator bets led by 2-Year Bonds & 10-Year Bonds

By InvestMacro

Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) reports data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday February 13th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial hedgers) were positioned in the futures markets.

Weekly Speculator Changes led by 2-Year Bonds & 10-Year Bonds

The COT bond market speculator bets were higher this week as five out of the eight bond markets we cover had higher positioning while the other three markets had lower speculator contracts.

Leading the gains for the bond markets was the 2-Year Bonds (117,595 contracts) with the 10-Year Bonds (67,943 contracts), the SOFR 3-Months (30,099 contracts), the US Treasury Bonds (29,415 contracts) and the Ultra Treasury Bonds (6,328 contracts) also showing positive weeks.

The bond markets with declines in speculator bets for the week were the 5-Year Bonds (-19,126 contracts), the Ultra 10-Year Bonds (-15,056 contracts) and the Fed Funds (-6,021 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week.

Speculators Leaderboard

Legend: Weekly Speculators Change | Speculators Current Net Position | Speculators Strength Score compared to last 3-Years (0-100 range)

Strength Scores led by SOFR 3-Months & Ultra Treasury Bonds

COT Strength Scores (a normalized measure of Speculator positions over a 3-Year range, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is Extreme-Bullish and below 20 is Extreme-Bearish) showed that the SOFR 3-Months (91 percent) and the Ultra Treasury Bonds (50 percent) lead the bond markets this week. The US Treasury Bonds (44 percent) comes in as the next highest in the weekly strength scores.

On the downside, the Ultra 10-Year Bonds (9 percent), the 5-Year Bonds (10 percent), the 10-Year Bonds (12 percent) and the 2-Year Bonds (18 percent) come in at the lowest strength level currently and are in Extreme-Bearish territory (below 20 percent).

Strength Statistics:
Fed Funds (38.2 percent) vs Fed Funds previous week (39.5 percent)
2-Year Bond (18.4 percent) vs 2-Year Bond previous week (10.9 percent)
5-Year Bond (9.7 percent) vs 5-Year Bond previous week (11.0 percent)
10-Year Bond (12.0 percent) vs 10-Year Bond previous week (5.7 percent)
Ultra 10-Year Bond (8.6 percent) vs Ultra 10-Year Bond previous week (11.3 percent)
US Treasury Bond (44.0 percent) vs US Treasury Bond previous week (33.7 percent)
Ultra US Treasury Bond (50.4 percent) vs Ultra US Treasury Bond previous week (47.7 percent)
SOFR 3-Months (90.6 percent) vs SOFR 3-Months previous week (89.0 percent)

US Treasury Bonds & 10-Year Bonds top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that the US Treasury Bonds (9 percent) and the 10-Year Bonds (7 percent) lead the past six weeks trends for bonds. The 2-Year Bonds (4 percent) is the next highest positive mover in the latest trends data.

The Ultra Treasury Bonds (-13 percent) leads the downside trend scores currently with the Fed Funds (-2 percent) and the 5-Year Bonds (-2 percent) following next with lower trend scores.

Strength Trend Statistics:
Fed Funds (-2.3 percent) vs Fed Funds previous week (-5.5 percent)
2-Year Bond (3.5 percent) vs 2-Year Bond previous week (-2.6 percent)
5-Year Bond (-1.7 percent) vs 5-Year Bond previous week (1.0 percent)
10-Year Bond (6.7 percent) vs 10-Year Bond previous week (-2.2 percent)
Ultra 10-Year Bond (3.4 percent) vs Ultra 10-Year Bond previous week (11.3 percent)
US Treasury Bond (9.5 percent) vs US Treasury Bond previous week (0.3 percent)
Ultra US Treasury Bond (-13.3 percent) vs Ultra US Treasury Bond previous week (-20.8 percent)
SOFR 3-Months (4.2 percent) vs SOFR 3-Months previous week (-2.5 percent)

Secured Overnight Financing Rate (3-Month) Futures:

The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (3-Month) large speculator standing this week was a net position of 586,542 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 30,099 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 556,443 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 90.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 77.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

SOFR 3-Months Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	18.2	51.2	0.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	12.6	56.6	0.5
– Net Position:	586,542	-567,164	-19,378
– Gross Longs:	1,910,959	5,376,976	34,146
– Gross Shorts:	1,324,417	5,944,140	53,524
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.4 to 1	0.9 to 1	0.6 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	90.6	10.2	77.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	4.2	-3.3	-9.4

30-Day Federal Funds Futures:

The 30-Day Federal Funds large speculator standing this week was a net position of -141,981 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -6,021 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -135,960 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 38.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 62.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 68.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

30-Day Federal Funds Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	13.4	69.5	1.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	20.7	61.6	2.3
– Net Position:	-141,981	153,433	-11,452
– Gross Longs:	259,866	1,346,488	33,686
– Gross Shorts:	401,847	1,193,055	45,138
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.1 to 1	0.7 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	38.2	62.3	68.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-2.3	2.5	-1.7

2-Year Treasury Note Futures:

The 2-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week was a net position of -1,188,014 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 117,595 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,305,609 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 79.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 95.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

2-Year Treasury Note Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	9.4	81.9	6.6
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	39.3	55.4	3.2
– Net Position:	-1,188,014	1,052,479	135,535
– Gross Longs:	374,316	3,254,831	263,751
– Gross Shorts:	1,562,330	2,202,352	128,216
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.2 to 1	1.5 to 1	2.1 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	18.4	79.6	95.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	3.5	-5.5	8.1

5-Year Treasury Note Futures:

The 5-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week was a net position of -1,316,293 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -19,126 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,297,167 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 9.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 91.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 84.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

5-Year Treasury Note Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	7.1	84.7	6.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	29.4	64.1	5.0
– Net Position:	-1,316,293	1,215,390	100,903
– Gross Longs:	417,558	4,996,200	397,262
– Gross Shorts:	1,733,851	3,780,810	296,359
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.2 to 1	1.3 to 1	1.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	9.7	91.3	84.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-1.7	5.0	-8.9

10-Year Treasury Note Futures:

The 10-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week was a net position of -760,519 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 67,943 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -828,462 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 12.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 82.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 89.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

10-Year Treasury Note Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	10.3	78.4	9.1
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	26.4	63.9	7.6
– Net Position:	-760,519	688,569	71,950
– Gross Longs:	489,605	3,713,618	432,020
– Gross Shorts:	1,250,124	3,025,049	360,070
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.4 to 1	1.2 to 1	1.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	12.0	82.9	89.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	6.7	-12.0	4.8

Ultra 10-Year Notes Futures:

The Ultra 10-Year Notes large speculator standing this week was a net position of -230,706 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -15,056 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -215,650 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 8.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 93.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 64.8 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Ultra 10-Year Notes Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	12.7	76.6	9.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	23.2	62.3	12.7
– Net Position:	-230,706	313,523	-82,817
– Gross Longs:	279,753	1,686,833	197,906
– Gross Shorts:	510,459	1,373,310	280,723
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.5 to 1	1.2 to 1	0.7 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	8.6	93.9	64.8
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	3.4	0.3	-12.0

US Treasury Bonds Futures:

The US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week was a net position of -113,371 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 29,415 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -142,786 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 44.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 33.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 88.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

US Treasury Bonds Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	12.9	71.8	14.4
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	20.8	67.6	10.6
– Net Position:	-113,371	59,063	54,308
– Gross Longs:	185,581	1,029,694	205,953
– Gross Shorts:	298,952	970,631	151,645
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.1 to 1	1.4 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	44.0	33.9	88.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bearish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	9.5	-10.8	0.8

Ultra US Treasury Bonds Futures:

The Ultra US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week was a net position of -334,876 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 6,328 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -341,204 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 50.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 47.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 61.6 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Ultra US Treasury Bonds Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	9.9	79.5	10.2
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	29.9	61.1	8.7
– Net Position:	-334,876	309,005	25,871
– Gross Longs:	165,750	1,330,881	170,951
– Gross Shorts:	500,626	1,021,876	145,080
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.3 to 1	1.3 to 1	1.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	50.4	47.8	61.6
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-13.3	8.0	15.2

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

Bonds COT Updates Financial News

18 Feb

COT Stock Market Charts: Speculator bets led by S&P500 & MSCI EAFE

By InvestMacro

Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday February 13th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets.

Weekly Speculator Changes led by S&P500-Mini & MSCI EAFE-Mini

The COT stock markets speculator bets were lower this week as three out of the seven stock markets we cover had higher positioning while the other five markets had lower speculator contracts.

Leading the gains for the stock markets was the S&P500-Mini (17,184 contracts) with the MSCI EAFE-Mini (2,480 contracts) and the Nikkei 225 (92 contracts) also showing positive weeks.

The markets with the declines in speculator bets this week were the Russell-Mini (-4,458 contracts), the VIX (-1,979 contracts), the DowJones-Mini (-616 contracts) and the Nasdaq-Mini (-812 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week.

Speculators Leaderboard

Legend: Weekly Speculators Change | Speculators Current Net Position | Speculators Strength Score compared to last 3-Years (0-100 range)

Strength Scores led by DowJones-Mini & Nasdaq-Mini

COT Strength Scores (a normalized measure of Speculator positions over a 3-Year range, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is Extreme-Bullish and below 20 is Extreme-Bearish) showed that the DowJones-Mini (93 percent) and the Nasdaq-Mini (89 percent) lead the stock markets this week. The VIX (75 percent) and Russell-Mini (68 percent) come in as the next highest in the weekly strength scores.

On the downside, the S&P500-Mini (33 percent) comes in at the lowest strength level currently with the next lowest strength score being the MSCI EAFE-Mini (38 percent).

Strength Statistics:
VIX (75.2 percent) vs VIX previous week (76.5 percent)
S&P500-Mini (32.6 percent) vs S&P500-Mini previous week (30.0 percent)
DowJones-Mini (93.4 percent) vs DowJones-Mini previous week (94.4 percent)
Nasdaq-Mini (88.9 percent) vs Nasdaq-Mini previous week (90.1 percent)
Russell2000-Mini (67.7 percent) vs Russell2000-Mini previous week (70.9 percent)
Nikkei USD (42.5 percent) vs Nikkei USD previous week (41.9 percent)
EAFE-Mini (37.6 percent) vs EAFE-Mini previous week (35.0 percent)

MSCI EAFE-Mini & DowJones-Mini top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that the MSCI EAFE-Mini (9 percent) leads the past six weeks trends for the stock markets.

The Russell-Mini (-17 percent) leads the downside trend scores currently with the Nasdaq-Mini (-11 percent) coming in as the next market with lower trend scores.

Strength Trend Statistics:
VIX (-4.0 percent) vs VIX previous week (4.8 percent)
S&P500-Mini (-0.3 percent) vs S&P500-Mini previous week (-6.0 percent)
DowJones-Mini (1.3 percent) vs DowJones-Mini previous week (16.0 percent)
Nasdaq-Mini (-10.8 percent) vs Nasdaq-Mini previous week (7.6 percent)
Russell2000-Mini (-16.7 percent) vs Russell2000-Mini previous week (-5.4 percent)
Nikkei USD (0.2 percent) vs Nikkei USD previous week (-4.6 percent)
EAFE-Mini (9.2 percent) vs EAFE-Mini previous week (12.5 percent)

Individual Stock Market Charts:

VIX Volatility Futures:

The VIX Volatility large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -50,966 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -1,979 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -48,987 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 75.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 23.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 77.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

VIX Volatility Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	21.1	46.2	7.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	35.2	31.1	8.3
– Net Position:	-50,966	54,671	-3,705
– Gross Longs:	76,506	167,381	26,308
– Gross Shorts:	127,472	112,710	30,013
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.5 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	75.2	23.4	77.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-4.0	2.9	8.0

S&P500 Mini Futures:

The S&P500 Mini large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -215,778 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 17,184 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -232,962 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 32.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 60.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 62.3 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

S&P500 Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	12.5	74.3	10.9
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	21.7	67.8	8.2
– Net Position:	-215,778	152,512	63,266
– Gross Longs:	292,466	1,738,023	254,739
– Gross Shorts:	508,244	1,585,511	191,473
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.1 to 1	1.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	32.6	60.9	62.3
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-0.3	3.5	-9.3

Dow Jones Mini Futures:

The Dow Jones Mini large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 20,369 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -616 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 20,985 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 93.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 4.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 57.3 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Dow Jones Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	31.6	51.1	15.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	11.9	73.4	12.7
– Net Position:	20,369	-23,116	2,747
– Gross Longs:	32,665	52,815	15,867
– Gross Shorts:	12,296	75,931	13,120
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.7 to 1	0.7 to 1	1.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	93.4	4.7	57.3
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	1.3	-3.7	8.3

Nasdaq Mini Futures:

The Nasdaq Mini large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 32,076 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -812 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 32,888 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 88.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 11.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 90.6 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Nasdaq Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	32.9	52.4	13.8
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	22.0	65.0	12.1
– Net Position:	32,076	-37,213	5,137
– Gross Longs:	97,292	155,161	40,984
– Gross Shorts:	65,216	192,374	35,847
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.5 to 1	0.8 to 1	1.1 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	88.9	11.7	90.6
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-10.8	11.1	-8.4

Russell 2000 Mini Futures:

The Russell 2000 Mini large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -24,451 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -4,458 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -19,993 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 67.7 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 30.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 56.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Russell 2000 Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	12.0	80.1	6.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	16.8	76.9	4.8
– Net Position:	-24,451	16,168	8,283
– Gross Longs:	60,783	405,971	32,713
– Gross Shorts:	85,234	389,803	24,430
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.0 to 1	1.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	67.7	30.9	56.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-16.7	16.8	-9.2

Nikkei Stock Average (USD) Futures:

The Nikkei Stock Average (USD) large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -3,388 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 92 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,480 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 42.5 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 45.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 66.6 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

Nikkei Stock Average Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	10.8	64.2	25.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	30.9	54.9	14.3
– Net Position:	-3,388	1,576	1,812
– Gross Longs:	1,829	10,843	4,222
– Gross Shorts:	5,217	9,267	2,410
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.4 to 1	1.2 to 1	1.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	42.5	45.5	66.6
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	0.2	-2.7	6.6

MSCI EAFE Mini Futures:

The MSCI EAFE Mini large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -27,856 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 2,480 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -30,336 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 37.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 61.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 37.7 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

MSCI EAFE Mini Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	7.9	88.8	3.2
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	14.3	83.3	2.2
– Net Position:	-27,856	23,703	4,153
– Gross Longs:	33,926	382,513	13,677
– Gross Shorts:	61,782	358,810	9,524
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.5 to 1	1.1 to 1	1.4 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	37.6	61.4	37.7
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	9.2	-5.7	-16.4

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Financial News Stock Market News

18 Feb

Soft Commodities Charts: Weekly Speculator bets led by Cotton & Sugar

By InvestMacro

Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) reports data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday February 13th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets.

Weekly Speculator Changes led by Cotton & Sugar

The COT soft commodities markets speculator bets were higher this week as seven out of the eleven softs markets we cover had higher positioning while the other four markets had lower speculator contracts.

Leading the gains for the softs markets was Cotton (24,092 contracts) with Sugar (11,631 contracts), Soybean Oil (9,985 contracts), Wheat (9,277 contracts), Coffee (5,101 contracts), Live Cattle (4,440 contracts) and Lean Hogs (1,384 contracts) also showing positive weeks.

The markets with the declines in speculator bets this week were Corn (-16,517 contracts), Soybean Meal (-11,545 contracts), Cocoa (-8,763 contracts) and Soybeans (-934 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week.

Speculators Leaderboard

Legend: Weekly Speculators Change | Speculators Current Net Position | Speculators Strength Score compared to last 3-Years (0-100 range)

Strength Scores led by Coffee & Cotton

COT Strength Scores (a normalized measure of Speculator positions over a 3-Year range, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is Extreme-Bullish and below 20 is Extreme-Bearish) showed that Coffee (89 percent) and Cotton (72 percent) lead the softs markets this week. Cocoa (60 percent), Wheat (47 percent) comes in as the next highest in the weekly strength scores.

On the downside, Soybean Meal (0 percent), Corn (0 percent), Soybeans (0 percent) and the Soybean Oil (8 percent) come in at the lowest strength levels currently and are in Extreme-Bearish territory (below 20 percent).

Strength Statistics:
Corn (0.0 percent) vs Corn previous week (2.1 percent)
Sugar (23.9 percent) vs Sugar previous week (19.7 percent)
Coffee (89.0 percent) vs Coffee previous week (83.8 percent)
Soybeans (0.0 percent) vs Soybeans previous week (0.2 percent)
Soybean Oil (8.0 percent) vs Soybean Oil previous week (2.1 percent)
Soybean Meal (0.0 percent) vs Soybean Meal previous week (5.2 percent)
Live Cattle (36.7 percent) vs Live Cattle previous week (31.9 percent)
Lean Hogs (31.0 percent) vs Lean Hogs previous week (29.8 percent)
Cotton (71.9 percent) vs Cotton previous week (53.8 percent)
Cocoa (60.3 percent) vs Cocoa previous week (69.2 percent)
Wheat (47.4 percent) vs Wheat previous week (40.9 percent)

Cotton & Live Cattle top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that Cotton (59 percent) and Live Cattle (25 percent) lead the past six weeks trends for soft commodities. Lean Hogs (25 percent), Coffee (17 percent) and Sugar (6 percent) are the next highest positive movers in the latest trends data.

Soybeans (-34 percent) leads the downside trend scores currently with Soybean Meal (-33 percent), Cocoa (-20 percent) and Corn (-13 percent) following next with lower trend scores.

Strength Trend Statistics:
Corn (-12.6 percent) vs Corn previous week (-12.9 percent)
Sugar (6.3 percent) vs Sugar previous week (0.7 percent)
Coffee (17.1 percent) vs Coffee previous week (11.3 percent)
Soybeans (-33.9 percent) vs Soybeans previous week (-36.1 percent)
Soybean Oil (4.7 percent) vs Soybean Oil previous week (-0.5 percent)
Soybean Meal (-32.5 percent) vs Soybean Meal previous week (-33.7 percent)
Live Cattle (24.7 percent) vs Live Cattle previous week (17.6 percent)
Lean Hogs (24.7 percent) vs Lean Hogs previous week (17.6 percent)
Cotton (58.9 percent) vs Cotton previous week (42.3 percent)
Cocoa (-20.0 percent) vs Cocoa previous week (-9.6 percent)
Wheat (3.2 percent) vs Wheat previous week (-4.8 percent)

Individual Soft Commodities Markets:

CORN Futures:

The CORN large speculator standing this week was a net position of -245,939 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -16,517 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -229,422 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 95.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

CORN Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	17.5	45.4	9.8
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	32.7	29.0	10.9
– Net Position:	-245,939	263,504	-17,565
– Gross Longs:	281,214	730,978	157,423
– Gross Shorts:	527,153	467,474	174,988
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.5 to 1	1.6 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	0.0	100.0	95.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-12.6	11.6	16.2

SUGAR Futures:

The SUGAR large speculator standing this week was a net position of 92,155 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 11,631 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 80,524 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 23.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 75.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 28.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

SUGAR Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	20.8	55.8	8.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	10.4	68.5	6.2
– Net Position:	92,155	-112,138	19,983
– Gross Longs:	184,125	493,076	75,081
– Gross Shorts:	91,970	605,214	55,098
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.0 to 1	0.8 to 1	1.4 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	23.9	75.1	28.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	6.3	-6.1	3.4

COFFEE Futures:

The COFFEE large speculator standing this week was a net position of 60,084 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 5,101 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 54,983 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 89.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 14.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 32.1 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

COFFEE Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	36.8	37.6	4.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	10.0	65.0	3.4
– Net Position:	60,084	-61,442	1,358
– Gross Longs:	82,479	84,398	8,905
– Gross Shorts:	22,395	145,840	7,547
– Long to Short Ratio:	3.7 to 1	0.6 to 1	1.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	89.0	14.8	32.1
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	17.1	-16.4	-2.7

SOYBEANS Futures:

The SOYBEANS large speculator standing this week was a net position of -161,751 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -934 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -160,817 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 99.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 81.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

SOYBEANS Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	11.3	59.3	6.9
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	32.3	37.0	8.2
– Net Position:	-161,751	171,638	-9,887
– Gross Longs:	86,975	456,229	52,898
– Gross Shorts:	248,726	284,591	62,785
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.3 to 1	1.6 to 1	0.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	0.0	99.9	81.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-33.9	32.4	8.6

SOYBEAN OIL Futures:

The SOYBEAN OIL large speculator standing this week was a net position of -24,616 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 9,985 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -34,601 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 8.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 95.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.4 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

SOYBEAN OIL Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	19.0	49.6	5.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	23.4	45.0	5.1
– Net Position:	-24,616	25,463	-847
– Gross Longs:	105,702	275,768	27,680
– Gross Shorts:	130,318	250,305	28,527
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.8 to 1	1.1 to 1	1.0 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	8.0	95.0	10.4
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	4.7	-2.8	-10.1

SOYBEAN MEAL Futures:

The SOYBEAN MEAL large speculator standing this week was a net position of -45,467 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -11,545 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -33,922 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 30.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

SOYBEAN MEAL Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	16.1	49.5	9.8
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	25.3	43.6	6.4
– Net Position:	-45,467	28,730	16,737
– Gross Longs:	79,737	244,539	48,351
– Gross Shorts:	125,204	215,809	31,614
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.1 to 1	1.5 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	0.0	100.0	30.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-32.5	29.7	24.9

LIVE CATTLE Futures:

The LIVE CATTLE large speculator standing this week was a net position of 53,594 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 4,440 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 49,154 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 36.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 62.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 65.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Downtrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Short Position.

LIVE CATTLE Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	34.0	37.6	11.1
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	15.3	54.7	12.7
– Net Position:	53,594	-48,988	-4,606
– Gross Longs:	97,639	108,023	31,859
– Gross Shorts:	44,045	157,011	36,465
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.2 to 1	0.7 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	36.7	62.9	65.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	24.7	-24.6	-14.8

LEAN HOGS Futures:

The LEAN HOGS large speculator standing this week was a net position of 1,579 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 1,384 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 195 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 31.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 72.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 61.7 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: New Buy – Long Position.

LEAN HOGS Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	33.4	39.1	8.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	32.7	37.6	11.0
– Net Position:	1,579	3,243	-4,822
– Gross Longs:	70,928	82,947	18,474
– Gross Shorts:	69,349	79,704	23,296
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.0 to 1	1.0 to 1	0.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	31.0	72.5	61.7
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	24.7	-27.5	5.4

COTTON Futures:

The COTTON large speculator standing this week was a net position of 83,935 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 24,092 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 59,843 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 71.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 27.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 68.4 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

COTTON Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	40.3	36.8	7.1
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	7.2	73.2	3.7
– Net Position:	83,935	-92,565	8,630
– Gross Longs:	102,360	93,505	17,952
– Gross Shorts:	18,425	186,070	9,322
– Long to Short Ratio:	5.6 to 1	0.5 to 1	1.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	71.9	27.6	68.4
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	58.9	-59.5	57.6

COCOA Futures:

The COCOA large speculator standing this week was a net position of 49,351 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -8,763 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 58,114 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 60.3 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 37.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 58.8 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

COCOA Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	35.2	31.4	6.1
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	17.0	51.6	4.0
– Net Position:	49,351	-54,822	5,471
– Gross Longs:	95,562	85,415	16,442
– Gross Shorts:	46,211	140,237	10,971
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.1 to 1	0.6 to 1	1.5 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	60.3	37.0	58.8
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-20.0	14.7	42.4

WHEAT Futures:

The WHEAT large speculator standing this week was a net position of -29,007 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 9,277 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -38,284 net contracts.

This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 47.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 51.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 45.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend. The current action for the model is considered to be: Hold – Maintain Long Position.

WHEAT Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	31.5	36.4	7.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	38.9	27.8	8.7
– Net Position:	-29,007	33,760	-4,753
– Gross Longs:	124,909	143,969	29,853
– Gross Shorts:	153,916	110,209	34,606
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.8 to 1	1.3 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	47.4	51.8	45.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	3.2	-5.2	10.4

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Financial News Soft Commodities

17 Feb

Speculator Extremes: Mexican Peso, Dow, Corn & Palladium lead Bullish & Bearish Positions

By InvestMacro

The latest update for the weekly Commitment of Traders (COT) report was released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday for data ending on February 13th.

Here Are This Week’s Most Bullish Speculator Positions:

Mexican Peso

The Mexican Peso speculator position comes in as the most bullish extreme standing this week. The Mexican Peso speculator level is currently at a 100.0 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the percent strength score totaled 6.9 this week. The overall net speculator position was a total of 100,444 net contracts this week with a gain of 13,615 contract in the weekly speculator bets.

Speculators or Non-Commercials Notes:

DowJones Mini

The DowJones Mini speculator position comes next in the extreme standings this week. The DowJones Mini speculator level is now at a 93.4 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the percent strength score was 1.3 this week. The speculator position registered 20,369 net contracts this week with a weekly dip of -616 contracts in speculator bets.

British Pound

The British Pound speculator position comes in third this week in the extreme standings. The British Pound speculator level resides at a 90.8 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score came in at 24.5 this week. The overall speculator position was 50,472 net contracts this week with a jump of 15,997 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

3-Month Secured Overnight Financing Rate

The 3-Month Secured Overnight Financing Rate speculator position comes up number four in the extreme standings this week. The 3-Month Secured Overnight Financing Rate speculator level is at a 90.6 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score totaled a change of 4.2 this week. The overall speculator position was 586,542 net contracts this week with an increase by 30,099 contracts in the speculator bets.

Coffee

The Coffee speculator position rounds out the top five in this week’s bullish extreme standings. The Coffee speculator level sits at a 89.0 percent score of its 3-year range. The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was 17.1 this week.

The speculator position was 60,084 net contracts this week with a gain of 5,101 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

This Week’s Most Bearish Speculator Positions:

Corn

The Corn speculator position comes in as the most bearish extreme standing this week. The Corn speculator level is at a 0.0 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -12.6 this week. The overall speculator position was -245,939 net contracts this week with a decline of -16,517 contracts in the speculator bets.

Palladium

The Palladium speculator position comes in next for the most bearish extreme standing on the week. The Palladium speculator level is at a 0.0 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -32.3 this week. The speculator position was -13,511 net contracts this week with a reduction of -2,509 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Soybean Meal

The Soybean Meal speculator position comes in as third most bearish extreme standing of the week. The Soybean Meal speculator level resides at a 0.0 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -32.5 this week. The overall speculator position was -45,467 net contracts this week with a drop of -11,545 contracts in the speculator bets.

Soybeans

The Soybeans speculator position comes in as this week’s fourth most bearish extreme standing. The Soybeans speculator level is at a 0.0 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -33.9 this week. The speculator position was -161,751 net contracts this week with an edge lower by -934 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Copper

Finally, the Copper speculator position comes in as the fifth most bearish extreme standing for this week. The Copper speculator level is at a 2.7 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -37.2 this week. The speculator position was -32,697 net contracts this week with a drop of -18,987 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Forex and Currency News Opinions

Risk Disclosure: Foreign Currency trading and trading on margin carries a high level of risk and can result in loss of part or all of your investment. Due to the level of risk and market volatility, Foreign Currency trading may not be suitable for all investors and you should not invest money you cannot afford to lose. Before deciding to invest in the foreign currency exchange market you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. You should be aware of all the risks associated with foreign currency exchange trading, and seek advice from an independent financial advisor should you have any doubts.

All information and opinions on this website are for general informational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice.