By CountingPips.com
Weekly CFTC Net Speculator Report
VIX Futures Contracts: Large traders and speculators decreased their overall bearish positions in the VIX futures market for a second consecutive week on December 24th, according to the latest data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) released on Monday. The VIX non-commercial contracts, traded primarily by large speculators and hedge funds, totaled a net position of -38,125 contracts in the data reported for December 24th. This was a change of +24,512 contracts from the previous week’s total of -62,637 net contracts on December 17th. Speculators have now reduced bearish positions for a second straight week after raising their bearish bets the previous six weeks through December 10th.
Meanwhile, over the same time-frame, the VIX index decreased from 16.21 on Tuesday December 17th to 12.48 on Tuesday December 24th, according to the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) Volatility Index.
Last 6 Weeks of Large Trader Positions
| Date | Net Non-Commericals | Change | VIX Score |
| 11/19/2013 | -54855 | -10330 | 13.39 |
| 11/26/2013 | -60024 | -5169 | 12.81 |
| 12/03/2013 | -62050 | -2026 | 14.55 |
| 12/10/2013 | -73332 | -11282 | 13.91 |
| 12/17/2013 | -62637 | 10695 | 16.21 |
| 12/24/2013 | -38125 | 24512 | 12.48 |
*COT Report: The weekly commitment of traders report summarizes the total trader positions for open contracts in the futures trading 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). Find CFTC criteria here: (http://www.cftc.gov/MarketReports/CommitmentsofTraders/ExplanatoryNotes/index.htm).
Article by CountingPips.com – Forex News & Analysis
