InvestMacro

US stocks soared after Jerome Powell’s speech. Silver is close to a 14-year high

On Friday, the Dow Jones (US30) surged by 1.89% (+1.49% for the week). The S&P 500 (US500) gained 1.52% (+0.34% for the week), and the tech-heavy Nasdaq (US100) closed 1.54% higher (down -0.56% for the week). The US stocks skyrocketed on Friday after Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech at Jackson Hole signaled a potential September rate cut, triggering the strongest cross-asset rally since April. Speaking at the annual Fed symposium, Powell noted that a shift in the balance of risks to the economy “could call for an adjustment to our policy,” while also warning that inflationary pressures persist. Traders quickly raised the odds of a 25 bps rate cut in September to around 91%. Tech stocks performed particularly well, with Tesla jumping 6.2%, Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon all gaining more than 2%, and Nvidia up 1.7%. Intel shares soared 5.5% on reports that the Trump administration plans to acquire a 10% stake in the chipmaker.

The Canadian dollar strengthened to 1.39 per US dollar as weakness in the greenback outweighed poor domestic data. In Canada, the mood also turned more dovish for the Bank of Canada, as July retail sales were projected to have fallen 0.8%, the second-steepest decline in a year, highlighting the volatility in retail sales amid trade uncertainty with the US. Core average inflation held steady at 3.0% against expectations of 3.1%, and employment data showed an unexpected loss of 41,000 jobs in July versus expectations for a gain of 13,500. This kept the unemployment rate at 6.9%, reinforcing the case for a looser policy.

The Mexican peso strengthened to approximately 18.6 per US dollar, nearing its yearly high, driven by the weaker US dollar. Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole speech increased the likelihood of a September Fed rate cut, which pushed the US dollar lower. This eased pressure on the dollar as a whole and supported emerging market currencies. At the same time, Banxico’s quarter-point rate cut to 7.75% on August 15 was a split decision, and the minutes omitted previous language promising further easing. This signals a gradual approach to easing rather than an aggressive pivot, maintaining a positive real yield.

European stock markets traded without a clear direction on Friday. The German DAX (DE40) rose by 0.29% (+0.20% for the week), the French CAC 40 (FR40) closed positive 0.40% (+0.51% for the week), the Spanish IBEX 35 (ES35) gained 0.61% (+0.81% for the week), and the British FTSE 100 (UK100) closed 0.13% higher (+2.00% for the week). Germany’s economy shrank by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter from April to June, a steeper contraction than the previous estimate of 0.1% and following a 0.3% growth in the first quarter.

WTI crude oil prices hit $63 a barrel on Friday, marking their first weekly gain in three weeks as geopolitical tensions and supply dynamics kept markets volatile. Uncertainty increased after Russia launched new airstrikes on Ukraine and Ukraine struck a refinery and a key oil pumping station, disrupting supplies on the “Druzhba” pipeline. Meanwhile, US crude oil stockpiles shrank by 6 million barrels last week, significantly more than expected, suggesting high demand and providing support for prices.

Silver soared to $39 per ounce, nearing its 14-year high of $39.5 reached in late July, amid the prospect of a Fed rate cut. Markets also assessed demand for silver’s industrial use. On the industrial front, new data showed that China’s solar panel exports surged more than 70% in the first half of the year, driven by rising demand for photovoltaics in India. This follows China installing over 93 gigawatts of solar panels in May, a 300% increase from a year earlier and a new record high.

Asian markets were mostly higher last week. Japan’s Nikkei 225 (JP225) fell by 1.89%, while China’s FTSE China A50 (CHA50) climbed 3.03%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HK50) gained 0.18%, and Australia’s ASX 200 (AU200) ended the week up 0.32%.

Singapore’s annual inflation rate slowed to 0.6% in July 2025 from 0.8% in the previous month, slightly below market expectations of 0.7%. On a monthly basis, consumer prices fell by 0.4%, the sharpest decline in six months, compared to a 0.1% drop in the prior period. Meanwhile, the annual core inflation rate in July fell to a four-month low of 0.5%, missing market estimates and a 0.6% gain in the previous month.

S&P 500 (US500) 6,466.91 +96.74 (+1.52%)

Dow Jones (US30) 45,631.74 +846.24 (+1.89%)

DAX (DE40) 24,363.09 +69.75 (+0.29%)

FTSE 100 (UK100) 9,138.90 +12.20 (+0.13%)

USD Index 97.73 −0.89 (−0.90%)

News feed for: 2025.08.25

New Zealand Retail Sales (m/m) at 01:45 (GMT+3);
German Ifo Business Climate (m/m) at 11:00 (GMT+3);
US New Home Sales (m/m) at 17:00 (GMT+3).

By JustMarkets

This article reflects a personal opinion and should not be interpreted as an investment advice, and/or offer, and/or a persistent request for carrying out financial transactions, and/or a guarantee, and/or a forecast of future events.

Economics & Fundamentals Financial News

25 Aug

Euro Rallies Against Dollar After Powell’s Cautious Jackson Hole Speech

By RoboForex Analytical Department

The euro strengthened against the US dollar on Friday following a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, closing the week on a positive note. While Powell acknowledged the potential for an interest rate cut as soon as September, he refrained from making any explicit commitments.

The EUR/USD pair rose to 1.1728, reaching its highest level since 28 July.

Market expectations for a rate cut at the Fed’s September meeting (16–17) now stand at 85%. For the remainder of the year, market pricing points to a more dovish outlook, with an average of 54 basis points of easing anticipated, up from 48 basis points previously.

Investor attention is now shifting to labour market data. Powell noted that the market is in an unusual balance, with both demand for and supply of workers slowing. The trajectory of employment will be a key determinant for the Fed’s future policy decisions.

An additional factor weighing on the dollar is the growing scrutiny surrounding the Fed’s independence. Last week, US President Donald Trump called for the resignation of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and suggested she could be dismissed. This has further fuelled concerns about political pressure being exerted on the central bank.

Technical Analysis: EUR/USD

H4 Chart:

On the H4 chart, the market has formed a consolidation range around the 1.1566 level. Following an upward breakout, the corrective wave appears to have completed at the 1.1742 high. The primary focus is now on the potential initiation of a new bearish wave targeting the 1.1550 level. This scenario is technically supported by the MACD indicator, whose signal line remains below zero and is pointing decisively lower.

H1 Chart:

On the H1 chart, the market completed an ascending wave to the 1.1742 level and subsequently formed a consolidation range below it. The price has now broken downwards out of this range. The immediate outlook suggests a high probability of a further decline towards the 1.1664 support level. Following this, a corrective bounce towards 1.1694 is possible. The broader structure is then expected to resume its downward trajectory, targeting 1.1590, with the ultimate bearish objective for the wave structure seen at 1.1550. This view is corroborated by the Stochastic oscillator, whose signal line is currently below the 50 midline and is trending sharply lower towards the 20 level.

Conclusion

While fundamental drivers from the Fed provided a lift, the technical picture suggests the euro’s rally may be limited in the near term.

Disclaimer

Any forecasts contained herein are based on the author’s particular opinion. This analysis may not be treated as trading advice. RoboForex bears no responsibility for trading results based on trading recommendations and reviews contained herein.

Economics & Fundamentals Financial News

24 Aug

Speculators raise Euro Speculator Bets while British Pound Bets Rebound

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 August 19th 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

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

Leading the gains for the currency markets was the British Pound (13,908 contracts) with the Japanese Yen (3,347 contracts), the EuroFX (3,314 contracts), the Mexican Peso (3,286 contracts), the Swiss Franc (765 contracts), the New Zealand Dollar (617 contracts) and the US Dollar Index (259 contracts) also showing positive weeks.

The currencies seeing declines in speculator bets on the week were the Brazilian Real (-9,172 contracts), the Australian Dollar (-6,982 contracts), the Canadian Dollar (-3,002 contracts) and with Bitcoin (-458 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week.

Speculators raise Euro Speculator Bets while British Pound Bets Rebound

Highlighting the currency’s speculator data this week was a rebound in the British Pound Sterling and a push higher in the Euro speculator bets.

First off, the British Pound Sterling bets surged this week by almost +14,000 contracts. This follows five straight weeks of declines that had brought the Sterling contracts from a positive bullish position as recently as July 22nd into a bearish position that has persisted for the past four weeks. Previously, the GBP speculator position had been in a bullish standing for 22 consecutive weeks from February until July 22nd.

Helping to dent the British Pound Sterling sentiment was an interest rate cut in early August by the Bank of England. Despite the bearish sentiment in the Sterling, the exchange rate for the British Pound against the US Dollar has been higher on the year and has touched the highest levels since 2021, around the 1.3800 level.

So far throughout 2025, the Pound Sterling is up by roughly 11% against the US Dollar and could see further gains as the US Federal Reserve hinted there could be rate cuts coming for the US economy. In fact, 75% of market participants are expecting a 25-basis interest rate cut in September, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

Next up, the Euro currency speculator position rose this week by a modest +3,304 contracts. This breaks a streak of four straight weeks of declines and pushes the current speculator standing to the highest level of the past three weeks. The Euro speculator positioning continues to be highly bullish as spec positions have been over +100,000 contracts for 10 consecutive weeks, with this week’s total being +118,745 bullish contracts. Overall, the Euro has now been in a bullish position for 24 straight weeks after turning bullish on March 11th.

In the exchange rate prices, the Euro has been higher by approximately 15% against the US Dollar this year. Currently, the Euro trades at the 1.1739 exchange rate against the US Dollar and has topped out around 1.1890 this year, which was the highest level seen since August of 2021.

Currency Exchange Rates: Mexican Peso leads price changes for last 5 days

The weekly price performance of the major currencies over the last 5 days showed that the Mexican Peso led the way with a weekly rise of 0.82%. The Swiss Franc was next with an increase of 0.66% on the week.

The Yen and the Euro were both slightly above no change on the week, with changes of 0.19% and 0.16%, respectively. The US Dollar Index was virtually unchanged with a -0.04% change. Same with the Canadian Dollar, which had a decline of -0.10% decline for the week.

The British Pound was slightly down with a -0.27% dip. The Australian Dollar was lower by -0.30%, Bitcoin fell by -0.31% and the Brazilian Real dipped by -0.45%. Finally, the New Zealand Dollar saw the largest shortfall on the week with a -0.99% decline.

Currencies Data:

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

Strength Scores led by EuroFX & Japanese Yen

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 EuroFX (74 percent) and the Japanese Yen (72 percent) lead the currency markets this week. The Brazilian Real (69 percent), Mexican Peso (62 percent) and the New Zealand Dollar (60 percent) come in as the next highest in the weekly strength scores.

On the downside, the US Dollar Index (2 percent) and the Australian Dollar (9 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 British Pound (20 percent) and the Bitcoin (27 percent).

3-Year Strength Statistics:
US Dollar Index (2.4 percent) vs US Dollar Index previous week (1.8 percent)
EuroFX (74.0 percent) vs EuroFX previous week (72.7 percent)
British Pound Sterling (20.4 percent) vs British Pound Sterling previous week (13.8 percent)
Japanese Yen (72.0 percent) vs Japanese Yen previous week (71.1 percent)
Swiss Franc (45.6 percent) vs Swiss Franc previous week (44.1 percent)
Canadian Dollar (46.8 percent) vs Canadian Dollar previous week (48.2 percent)
Australian Dollar (9.0 percent) vs Australian Dollar previous week (13.9 percent)
New Zealand Dollar (59.8 percent) vs New Zealand Dollar previous week (59.0 percent)
Mexican Peso (61.7 percent) vs Mexican Peso previous week (60.0 percent)
Brazilian Real (69.2 percent) vs Brazilian Real previous week (76.7 percent)
Bitcoin (27.3 percent) vs Bitcoin previous week (37.0 percent)

Bitcoin & Mexican Peso top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that the Bitcoin (26 percent) and the Mexican Peso (5 percent) lead the past six weeks trends for the currencies.

The British Pound (-28 percent) leads the downside trend scores currently with the Brazilian Real (-15 percent), Australian Dollar (-15 percent) and the Japanese Yen (-11 percent) following next with lower trend scores.

3-Year Strength Trends:
US Dollar Index (-4.6 percent) vs US Dollar Index previous week (-4.6 percent)
EuroFX (-0.7 percent) vs EuroFX previous week (3.0 percent)
British Pound Sterling (-27.8 percent) vs British Pound Sterling previous week (-33.5 percent)
Japanese Yen (-10.6 percent) vs Japanese Yen previous week (-14.6 percent)
Swiss Franc (-10.3 percent) vs Swiss Franc previous week (-8.5 percent)
Canadian Dollar (-9.7 percent) vs Canadian Dollar previous week (-12.1 percent)
Australian Dollar (-14.6 percent) vs Australian Dollar previous week (-12.6 percent)
New Zealand Dollar (-10.4 percent) vs New Zealand Dollar previous week (-10.2 percent)
Mexican Peso (4.8 percent) vs Mexican Peso previous week (3.4 percent)
Brazilian Real (-15.1 percent) vs Brazilian Real previous week (-10.3 percent)
Bitcoin (26.2 percent) vs Bitcoin previous week (21.5 percent)

Individual COT Forex Markets:

US Dollar Index Futures:

The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -5,988 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 259 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -6,247 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 2.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 96.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 43.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend.

US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	39.3	39.0	14.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	60.0	21.5	10.8
– Net Position:	-5,988	5,060	928
– Gross Longs:	11,359	11,278	4,046
– Gross Shorts:	17,347	6,218	3,118
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.8 to 1	1.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	2.4	96.3	43.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-4.6	0.7	23.2

Euro Currency Futures:

The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 118,745 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 3,314 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 115,431 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 74.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 24.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 75.1 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

EURO Currency Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	30.6	54.8	11.4
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	16.2	75.0	5.6
– Net Position:	118,745	-166,431	47,686
– Gross Longs:	252,719	452,297	94,142
– Gross Shorts:	133,974	618,728	46,456
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.9 to 1	0.7 to 1	2.0 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	74.0	24.5	75.1
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-0.7	3.7	-19.3

British Pound Sterling Futures:

The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -25,185 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 13,908 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -39,093 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 20.4 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 71.4 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

BRITISH POUND Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	37.0	47.2	14.9
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	48.4	37.8	12.9
– Net Position:	-25,185	20,792	4,393
– Gross Longs:	81,303	103,816	32,702
– Gross Shorts:	106,488	83,024	28,309
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.8 to 1	1.3 to 1	1.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	20.4	72.5	71.4
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-27.8	26.6	-12.5

Japanese Yen Futures:

The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 77,581 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 3,347 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 74,234 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 72.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 30.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 49.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend.

JAPANESE YEN Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	48.2	40.1	10.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	26.0	63.0	9.8
– Net Position:	77,581	-79,882	2,301
– Gross Longs:	168,363	139,967	36,614
– Gross Shorts:	90,782	219,849	34,313
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.9 to 1	0.6 to 1	1.1 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	72.0	30.8	49.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-10.6	12.3	-23.1

Swiss Franc Futures:

The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -27,278 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 765 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -28,043 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 45.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 55.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 48.1 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

SWISS FRANC Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	8.1	75.4	16.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	42.2	32.3	25.6
– Net Position:	-27,278	34,522	-7,244
– Gross Longs:	6,459	60,354	13,224
– Gross Shorts:	33,737	25,832	20,468
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.2 to 1	2.3 to 1	0.6 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	45.6	55.8	48.1
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-10.3	22.4	-36.7

Canadian Dollar Futures:

The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -93,079 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -3,002 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -90,077 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 46.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 55.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 21.8 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend.

CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	8.6	74.8	10.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	50.8	29.1	14.2
– Net Position:	-93,079	100,818	-7,739
– Gross Longs:	19,028	165,165	23,694
– Gross Shorts:	112,107	64,347	31,433
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.2 to 1	2.6 to 1	0.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	46.8	55.8	21.8
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-9.7	13.8	-30.5

Australian Dollar Futures:

The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -94,887 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -6,982 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -87,905 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 9.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 85.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 53.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	17.0	66.9	12.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	68.1	16.7	11.7
– Net Position:	-94,887	93,396	1,491
– Gross Longs:	31,668	124,358	23,253
– Gross Shorts:	126,555	30,962	21,762
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.3 to 1	4.0 to 1	1.1 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	9.0	85.6	53.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-14.6	15.0	-12.3

New Zealand Dollar Futures:

The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -4,070 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 617 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -4,687 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 59.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 39.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 40.7 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend.

NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	27.3	53.5	8.9
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	35.9	42.9	11.0
– Net Position:	-4,070	5,069	-999
– Gross Longs:	12,986	25,428	4,229
– Gross Shorts:	17,056	20,359	5,228
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.8 to 1	1.2 to 1	0.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	59.8	39.8	40.7
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-10.4	13.5	-38.4

Mexican Peso Futures:

The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 64,525 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 3,286 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 61,239 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 61.7 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 39.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 41.6 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

MEXICAN PESO Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	56.5	37.9	4.1
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	16.9	79.7	2.0
– Net Position:	64,525	-67,928	3,403
– Gross Longs:	91,974	61,700	6,638
– Gross Shorts:	27,449	129,628	3,235
– Long to Short Ratio:	3.4 to 1	0.5 to 1	2.1 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	61.7	39.3	41.6
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	4.8	-4.1	-8.0

Brazilian Real Futures:

The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 30,410 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -9,172 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 39,582 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 69.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 29.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 38.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

BRAZIL REAL Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	58.5	34.5	3.9
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	29.8	66.1	1.0
– Net Position:	30,410	-33,494	3,084
– Gross Longs:	61,948	36,559	4,144
– Gross Shorts:	31,538	70,053	1,060
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.0 to 1	0.5 to 1	3.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	69.2	29.7	38.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-15.1	15.8	-6.3

Bitcoin Futures:

The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -1,200 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -458 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -742 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 27.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 73.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 60.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

BITCOIN Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	79.6	5.4	5.2
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	83.8	2.7	3.6
– Net Position:	-1,200	758	442
– Gross Longs:	23,064	1,552	1,493
– Gross Shorts:	24,264	794	1,051
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.0 to 1	2.0 to 1	1.4 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	27.3	73.5	60.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	26.2	-25.0	-5.9

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.

COT Updates Forex and Currency News Opinions

23 Aug

Speculator Extremes: MSCI EAFE & FedFunds 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 August 19th.

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:

MSCI EAFE MINI

The MSCI EAFE MINI speculator position comes in at the top of the extreme standings this week. The MSCI EAFE-Mini speculator level is now at a 96 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the percent strength score was a change of 3 percentage points this week. The speculator position registered 5,439 net contracts this week with a weekly dip of -2,355 contracts in 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.

Nasdaq

The Nasdaq speculator position comes in second this week in the extreme standings as the Nasdaq-Mini speculator level resides at a 87 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score came in at a gain of 4 percentage points this week. The overall speculator position was 33,845 net contracts this week with a decline of -8,467 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Live Cattle

The Live Cattle speculator position comes up number three in the extreme standings this week as the Live Cattle speculator level is at 83 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score totaled a gain of 5 percentage points this week. The overall speculator position was 106,141 net contracts this week with no change in the speculator bets.

Lean Hogs

The Lean Hogs speculator position comes next in this week’s bullish extreme standings as the Lean Hogs speculator level sits at a 80 percent score of its 3-year range. The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was a drop by -16 percentage points this week.

The speculator position was 69,709 net contracts this week with a decrease by -4,218 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Ultra U.S. Treasury Bonds

The Ultra U.S. Treasury Bonds speculator position rounds out the top five in this week’s bullish extreme standings. The Ultra Long T-Bond speculator level is at a 80 percent score of its 3-year range. The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was a change of -7 percentage points this week.

The speculator position was -242,162 net contracts this week with a drop by -33,030 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

This Week’s Most Bearish Speculator Positions:

Fed Funds

The Fed Funds speculator position comes in as the most bearish extreme standing this week. The FedFunds speculator level is at a 0 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was a large drop by -62 percentage points this week. The overall speculator position was -317,054 net contracts this week with a reduction by -83,387 contracts in the speculator bets.

WTI Crude Oil

The WTI Crude Oil speculator position comes in next for the most bearish extreme standing on the week. The WTI Crude speculator level is at a 1 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -38 percentage points this week. The speculator position was 120,209 net contracts this week with a rise of 3,467 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

US Dollar Index

The US Dollar Index speculator position comes in as third most bearish extreme standing of the week. The USD Index speculator level resides at a 2 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -5 percentage points this week. The overall speculator position was -5,988 net contracts this week with an increase of 259 contracts in the speculator bets.

Sugar

The Sugar speculator position comes in as this week’s fourth most bearish extreme standing. The Sugar speculator level is at a 2 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -3 percentage points this week. The speculator position was -70,293 net contracts this week with a slide of -1,781 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

5-Year Bond

Next, the 5-Year Bond speculator position comes in as the fifth most bearish extreme standing for this week. The 5-Year speculator level is at a 3 percent score of its 3-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was 0 percentage points this week. The speculator position was -2,508,383 net contracts this week with a change of 57,986 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Opinions

23 Aug

COT Metals Charts: Speculator Bets led by Gains in Silver

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 August 19th 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 Silver

The COT metals markets speculator bets were overall lower this week as just two out of the six metals markets we cover had higher positioning while the other four markets had lower speculator contracts.

Leading the gains for the metals was Silver (2,281 contracts) and with Steel (60 contracts) also showing a positive week.

The markets with declines in speculator bets for the week were Gold (-16,895 contracts), Platinum (-2,738 contracts), Copper (-2,179 contracts) and with Palladium (-238 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week.

Silver leads the Weekly Price Performance for Metals Markets

The major metal markets price changes for the week were led by Silver, which advanced by just about 2.5%. Copper was the next highest mover with a gain of 1.24%, followed by Gold, which was higher by 1%, and Palladium, which increased by 0.76% over the last five days.

Copper saw a small slide of -0.54%, while Steel was the biggest loser on the week with a -4.48% decline.

Metals Data:

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

Strength Scores led by Palladium & Silver

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 Palladium (76 percent) and Silver (74 percent) lead the metals markets this week. Gold (61 percent) comes in as the next highest in the weekly strength scores.

Strength Statistics:
Gold (61.0 percent) vs Gold previous week (67.4 percent)
Silver (74.2 percent) vs Silver previous week (71.4 percent)
Copper (57.5 percent) vs Copper previous week (59.5 percent)
Platinum (51.5 percent) vs Platinum previous week (58.0 percent)
Palladium (76.4 percent) vs Palladium previous week (78.2 percent)
Steel (60.0 percent) vs Palladium previous week (59.6 percent)

Palladium & Gold top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that Palladium (8 percent) and Gold (4 percent) lead the past six weeks trends for metals.

Silver (-15 percent), Platinum (-14 percent) and Copper (-13 percent) lead the downside trend scores currently.

Move Statistics:
Gold (3.7 percent) vs Gold previous week (10.4 percent)
Silver (-15.0 percent) vs Silver previous week (-23.9 percent)
Copper (-12.6 percent) vs Copper previous week (-5.1 percent)
Platinum (-13.5 percent) vs Platinum previous week (-11.5 percent)
Palladium (7.5 percent) vs Palladium previous week (7.4 percent)
Steel (-6.3 percent) vs Steel previous week (-8.3 percent)

Individual Markets:

Gold Comex Futures:

The Gold Comex Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 212,590 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -16,895 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 229,485 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 61.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 32.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 99.3 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

Gold Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	62.8	15.2	12.8
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	14.3	72.2	4.3
– Net Position:	212,590	-249,965	37,375
– Gross Longs:	275,277	66,670	56,098
– Gross Shorts:	62,687	316,635	18,723
– Long to Short Ratio:	4.4 to 1	0.2 to 1	3.0 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	61.0	32.3	99.3
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	3.7	-4.2	6.7

Silver Comex Futures:

The Silver Comex Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 46,549 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 2,281 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 44,268 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 74.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 21.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 68.1 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

Silver Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	43.0	28.5	19.6
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	13.6	70.5	6.9
– Net Position:	46,549	-66,675	20,126
– Gross Longs:	68,102	45,127	31,016
– Gross Shorts:	21,553	111,802	10,890
– Long to Short Ratio:	3.2 to 1	0.4 to 1	2.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	74.2	21.2	68.1
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-15.0	14.2	-4.6

Copper Grade #1 Futures:

The Copper Grade #1 Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 26,032 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -2,179 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 28,211 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 57.5 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 40.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 74.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend.

Copper Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	29.1	35.0	9.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	15.7	53.2	4.9
– Net Position:	26,032	-35,365	9,333
– Gross Longs:	56,691	68,369	18,867
– Gross Shorts:	30,659	103,734	9,534
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.8 to 1	0.7 to 1	2.0 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	57.5	40.0	74.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-12.6	4.9	47.4

Platinum Futures:

The Platinum Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 15,050 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -2,738 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 17,788 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 51.5 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 46.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 63.4 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

Platinum Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	57.2	19.8	11.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	39.7	43.8	5.0
– Net Position:	15,050	-20,674	5,624
– Gross Longs:	49,269	17,034	9,912
– Gross Shorts:	34,219	37,708	4,288
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.4 to 1	0.5 to 1	2.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	51.5	46.6	63.4
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-13.5	12.7	0.5

Palladium Futures:

The Palladium Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -3,734 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -238 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -3,496 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 76.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

Palladium Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	39.2	32.8	15.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	57.4	24.6	5.3
– Net Position:	-3,734	1,679	2,055
– Gross Longs:	8,040	6,719	3,137
– Gross Shorts:	11,774	5,040	1,082
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.3 to 1	2.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	76.4	10.0	100.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	7.5	-11.5	19.1

Steel Futures Futures:

The Steel Futures large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -658 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 60 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -718 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 60.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 40.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 59.1 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Downtrend.

Steel Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	18.8	76.6	1.9
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	21.6	74.6	1.1
– Net Position:	-658	478	180
– Gross Longs:	4,386	17,905	445
– Gross Shorts:	5,044	17,427	265
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.9 to 1	1.0 to 1	1.7 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	60.0	40.2	59.1
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-6.3	7.0	-13.3

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Financial News Metals

23 Aug

COT Bonds Charts: Speculator Bets led by gains in 5-Year Bond & 2-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 August 19th 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 slightly higher this week as five out of the nine bond markets we cover had higher positioning while the other four markets had lower speculator contracts.

Leading the gains for the bond markets was the 5-Year Bonds (57,986 contracts) with the 2-Year Bonds (55,058 contracts), the Ultra 10-Year Bonds (21,171 contracts), the SOFR 1-Month (15,722 contracts) and the US Treasury Bonds (9,751 contracts) also showing positive weeks.

The bond markets with declines in speculator bets for the week were the SOFR 3-Months (-85,699 contracts), the Fed Funds (-83,387 contracts), the Ultra Treasury Bonds (-33,030 contracts) and the 10-Year Bonds (-3,293 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week.

Weekly Price Changes led by US Treasury Bonds

The weekly price performance for the major U.S. bond markets showed slight increases across the board for the most part. The long U.S. Treasury bonds led the last 5 days price changes with a gain of 0.75% followed by the 10-Year Notes which rose by 0.57%. The 5-Year Bond was up by 0.40% while the 2-Year Bond was slightly higher by just 0.22%. The 3-Month Secured Overnight Financing Rate was up by 0.14% while the 1-Month Secured Overnight Financing Rate and the Fed Funds were virtually unchanged as well.

Bonds Data:

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

Strength Scores led by Ultra Treasury Bonds & US 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 Ultra Treasury Bonds (80 percent) and the US Treasury Bonds (66 percent) lead the bond markets this week. The SOFR 1-Month (65 percent) comes in as the next highest in the weekly strength scores.

On the downside, the Fed Funds (0 percent), the 5-Year Bonds (3 percent), the 2-Year Bonds (13 percent) and the Ultra 10-Year Bonds (17 percent) come in at the lowest strength level currently and are in Extreme-Bearish territory (below 20 percent).

Strength Statistics:
Fed Funds (0.0 percent) vs Fed Funds previous week (14.8 percent)
2-Year Bond (13.4 percent) vs 2-Year Bond previous week (8.9 percent)
5-Year Bond (2.7 percent) vs 5-Year Bond previous week (0.0 percent)
10-Year Bond (21.7 percent) vs 10-Year Bond previous week (22.1 percent)
Ultra 10-Year Bond (17.2 percent) vs Ultra 10-Year Bond previous week (11.9 percent)
US Treasury Bond (65.6 percent) vs US Treasury Bond previous week (62.2 percent)
Ultra US Treasury Bond (80.3 percent) vs Ultra US Treasury Bond previous week (92.7 percent)
SOFR 1-Month (65.3 percent) vs SOFR 1-Month previous week (61.4 percent)
SOFR 3-Months (41.3 percent) vs SOFR 3-Months previous week (45.7 percent)

SOFR 1-Month & US Treasury 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 SOFR 1-Month (33 percent) and the US Treasury Bonds (20 percent) lead the past six weeks trends for bonds. The Ultra 10-Year Bonds (17 percent) are the next highest positive movers in the latest trends data.

The Fed Funds (-62 percent) leads the downside trend scores currently with the 10-Year Bonds (-11 percent) following next with lower trend scores.

Strength Trend Statistics:
Fed Funds (-62.4 percent) vs Fed Funds previous week (-43.2 percent)
2-Year Bond (-4.8 percent) vs 2-Year Bond previous week (-8.2 percent)
5-Year Bond (0.4 percent) vs 5-Year Bond previous week (-4.2 percent)
10-Year Bond (-11.5 percent) vs 10-Year Bond previous week (-17.3 percent)
Ultra 10-Year Bond (17.2 percent) vs Ultra 10-Year Bond previous week (8.4 percent)
US Treasury Bond (20.1 percent) vs US Treasury Bond previous week (15.2 percent)
Ultra US Treasury Bond (-7.3 percent) vs Ultra US Treasury Bond previous week (6.7 percent)
SOFR 1-Month (33.3 percent) vs SOFR 1-Month previous week (26.1 percent)
SOFR 3-Months (14.2 percent) vs SOFR 3-Months previous week (20.7 percent)

30-Day Federal Funds Futures:

The 30-Day Federal Funds large speculator standing this week was a net position of -317,054 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -83,387 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -233,667 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 58.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend.

30-Day Federal Funds Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	10.5	71.0	2.2
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	24.0	57.3	2.3
– Net Position:	-317,054	319,912	-2,858
– Gross Longs:	244,310	1,659,279	51,339
– Gross Shorts:	561,364	1,339,367	54,197
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.4 to 1	1.2 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	0.0	100.0	58.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-62.4	65.2	-10.7

Secured Overnight Financing Rate (3-Month) Futures:

The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (3-Month) large speculator standing this week was a net position of -368,146 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -85,699 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -282,447 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 41.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 58.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 83.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend.

SOFR 3-Months Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	14.3	56.7	0.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	17.3	53.8	0.5
– Net Position:	-368,146	358,345	9,801
– Gross Longs:	1,768,279	7,024,134	66,827
– Gross Shorts:	2,136,425	6,665,789	57,026
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.8 to 1	1.1 to 1	1.2 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	41.3	58.1	83.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	14.2	-12.7	-14.5

Individual Bond Markets:

Secured Overnight Financing Rate (1-Month) Futures:

The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (1-Month) large speculator standing this week was a net position of -12,930 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 15,722 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -28,652 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 65.3 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 33.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 75.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend.

SOFR 1-Month Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	15.8	66.7	0.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	16.7	66.1	0.0
– Net Position:	-12,930	8,580	4,350
– Gross Longs:	229,471	969,517	4,631
– Gross Shorts:	242,401	960,937	281
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.9 to 1	1.0 to 1	16.5 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	65.3	33.7	75.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	33.3	-33.3	1.2

2-Year Treasury Note Futures:

The 2-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week was a net position of -1,324,539 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 55,058 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,379,597 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 13.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 86.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 67.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend.

2-Year Treasury Note Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	11.3	79.1	5.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	40.6	52.5	3.0
– Net Position:	-1,324,539	1,202,916	121,623
– Gross Longs:	512,267	3,582,207	258,933
– Gross Shorts:	1,836,806	2,379,291	137,310
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.3 to 1	1.5 to 1	1.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	13.4	86.6	67.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-4.8	8.4	-7.3

5-Year Treasury Note Futures:

The 5-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week was a net position of -2,508,383 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 57,986 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -2,566,369 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 Bearish-Extreme with a score of 2.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 97.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 86.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend.

5-Year Treasury Note Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	7.3	82.9	6.4
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	41.5	51.4	3.7
– Net Position:	-2,508,383	2,310,706	197,677
– Gross Longs:	539,075	6,090,238	471,602
– Gross Shorts:	3,047,458	3,779,532	273,925
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.2 to 1	1.6 to 1	1.7 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	2.7	97.7	86.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	0.4	-1.6	4.9

10-Year Treasury Note Futures:

The 10-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week was a net position of -945,516 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -3,293 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -942,223 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 21.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 76.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 80.0 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend.

10-Year Treasury Note Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	9.8	77.9	8.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	27.5	62.4	6.3
– Net Position:	-945,516	826,011	119,505
– Gross Longs:	523,308	4,158,543	453,913
– Gross Shorts:	1,468,824	3,332,532	334,408
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.4 to 1	1.2 to 1	1.4 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	21.7	76.9	80.0
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-11.5	13.0	4.2

Ultra 10-Year Notes Futures:

The Ultra 10-Year Notes large speculator standing this week was a net position of -339,150 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 21,171 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -360,321 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 17.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 77.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 67.7 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Uptrend.

Ultra 10-Year Notes Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	12.4	77.1	9.4
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	26.0	61.6	11.2
– Net Position:	-339,150	385,087	-45,937
– Gross Longs:	308,607	1,919,822	234,113
– Gross Shorts:	647,757	1,534,735	280,050
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.5 to 1	1.3 to 1	0.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	17.2	77.3	67.7
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	17.2	-22.7	13.7

US Treasury Bonds Futures:

The US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week was a net position of -51,043 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 9,751 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -60,794 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 65.6 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 95.3 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Downtrend.

US Treasury Bonds Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	8.0	75.6	13.2
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	10.8	79.1	6.9
– Net Position:	-51,043	-62,680	113,723
– Gross Longs:	144,976	1,367,940	239,442
– Gross Shorts:	196,019	1,430,620	125,719
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.0 to 1	1.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	65.6	20.8	95.3
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	20.1	-27.2	34.8

Ultra US Treasury Bonds Futures:

The Ultra US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week was a net position of -242,162 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -33,030 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -209,132 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 30.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 27.2 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Downtrend.

Ultra US Treasury Bonds Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	6.4	81.4	9.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	18.4	70.0	8.8
– Net Position:	-242,162	230,415	11,747
– Gross Longs:	129,418	1,647,663	188,953
– Gross Shorts:	371,580	1,417,248	177,206
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.3 to 1	1.2 to 1	1.1 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	80.3	30.4	27.2
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-7.3	-2.7	27.1

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

Bonds COT Updates Financial News

23 Aug

COT Soft Commodities Charts: Weekly Speculator Bet Changes led by Soybeans & Corn

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 August 19th 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 by Soybeans & Corn

The COT soft commodities markets speculator bets were mixed this week as five out of the eleven softs markets we cover had higher positioning while five markets had lower speculator contracts and one market had no change.

Leading the gains for the softs markets was Soybeans (35,321 contracts) with Corn (27,964 contracts), Soybean Meal (10,184 contracts), Cotton (3,334 contracts) and Coffee (2,458 contracts) also showing positive weeks.

The markets with the declines in speculator bets this week were Soybean Oil (-15,862 contracts), Wheat (-4,572 contracts), Lean Hogs (-4,218 contracts), Sugar (-1,781 contracts) and with Cocoa (-1,720 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week.

Live Cattle (0 contracts) showed not change on the week which is extremely rare and could likely be revised going forward.

Coffee leads price changes followed by Cocoa

Price changes for the soft commodities markets over the last five days saw just about all of them higher on the week. Coffee led with a huge weekly gain of 14.49%, followed by Cocoa which rose by over 11%. Soybean Meal was up by almost 6% on the week, Live Cattle rose by over 4%, followed by Soybean Oil which was up by 3%, and Lean Hogs which rose by over 2%.

Cotton and Corn also were higher by just over a percent, while Soybeans increased by 1%. Wheat prices were unchanged for the week, while Sugar was the only market that saw a decline with a -0.45% reduction.

Soft Commodities Data:

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

Strength Scores led by Live Cattle & Lean Hogs

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 Live Cattle (83 percent) and Lean Hogs (80 percent) lead the softs markets this week. Soybean Oil (70 percent), Soybeans (56 percent) and Coffee (54 percent) come in as the next highest in the weekly strength scores.

On the downside, Sugar (2 percent), Soybean Meal (15 percent), Cotton (16 percent) and the Wheat (19.8 percent) come in at the lowest strength levels currently and are in Extreme-Bearish territory (below 20 percent).

Strength Statistics:
Corn (21.9 percent) vs Corn previous week (18.1 percent)
Sugar (1.9 percent) vs Sugar previous week (2.4 percent)
Coffee (53.7 percent) vs Coffee previous week (51.3 percent)
Soybeans (55.6 percent) vs Soybeans previous week (46.5 percent)
Soybean Oil (69.6 percent) vs Soybean Oil previous week (78.3 percent)
Soybean Meal (14.7 percent) vs Soybean Meal previous week (10.8 percent)
Live Cattle (82.6 percent) vs Live Cattle previous week (82.6 percent)
Lean Hogs (79.9 percent) vs Lean Hogs previous week (83.1 percent)
Cotton (16.4 percent) vs Cotton previous week (14.4 percent)
Cocoa (22.2 percent) vs Cocoa previous week (24.0 percent)
Wheat (19.8 percent) vs Wheat previous week (23.5 percent)

Soybean Meal & Corn top the 6-Week Strength Trends

COT Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) showed that Soybean Meal (14 percent) and Corn (5 percent) lead the past six weeks trends for soft commodities. Live Cattle (5 percent) are the next highest positive movers in the latest trends data.

Wheat (-26 percent) leads the downside trend scores currently with Lean Hogs (-16 percent), Soybean Oil (-5 percent) and Soybeans (-5 percent) following next with lower trend scores.

Strength Trend Statistics:
Corn (5.0 percent) vs Corn previous week (3.0 percent)
Sugar (-2.8 percent) vs Sugar previous week (-0.4 percent)
Coffee (-0.3 percent) vs Coffee previous week (-2.7 percent)
Soybeans (-4.7 percent) vs Soybeans previous week (-14.6 percent)
Soybean Oil (-4.9 percent) vs Soybean Oil previous week (4.6 percent)
Soybean Meal (14.2 percent) vs Soybean Meal previous week (10.8 percent)
Live Cattle (4.8 percent) vs Live Cattle previous week (2.0 percent)
Lean Hogs (-16.0 percent) vs Lean Hogs previous week (-15.7 percent)
Cotton (-3.3 percent) vs Cotton previous week (-6.5 percent)
Cocoa (-0.6 percent) vs Cocoa previous week (0.2 percent)
Wheat (-25.7 percent) vs Wheat previous week (-15.7 percent)

Individual Soft Commodities Markets:

CORN Futures:

The CORN large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -105,210 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 27,964 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -133,174 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 21.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 76.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 84.8 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend.

CORN Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	21.4	45.6	9.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	28.1	37.7	10.2
– Net Position:	-105,210	123,955	-18,745
– Gross Longs:	334,720	714,119	141,542
– Gross Shorts:	439,930	590,164	160,287
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.8 to 1	1.2 to 1	0.9 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	21.9	76.0	84.8
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	5.0	-6.3	6.0

SUGAR Futures:

The SUGAR large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -70,293 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -1,781 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -68,512 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 1.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 96.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 17.8 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Downtrend.

SUGAR Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	21.4	53.5	7.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	29.2	45.5	8.0
– Net Position:	-70,293	72,429	-2,136
– Gross Longs:	193,091	482,317	69,614
– Gross Shorts:	263,384	409,888	71,750
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.2 to 1	1.0 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	1.9	96.0	17.8
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-2.8	-0.5	16.3

COFFEE Futures:

The COFFEE large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 28,660 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 2,458 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 26,202 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 53.7 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 48.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 46.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Downtrend.

COFFEE Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	32.1	40.5	5.0
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	13.3	60.4	3.9
– Net Position:	28,660	-30,356	1,696
– Gross Longs:	48,952	61,658	7,632
– Gross Shorts:	20,292	92,014	5,936
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.4 to 1	0.7 to 1	1.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	53.7	48.0	46.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-0.3	-0.4	12.4

SOYBEANS Futures:

The SOYBEANS large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 19,746 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 35,321 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -15,575 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 55.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 42.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 71.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend.

SOYBEANS Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	17.4	53.8	5.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	15.2	54.3	7.3
– Net Position:	19,746	-4,205	-15,541
– Gross Longs:	155,697	481,033	49,550
– Gross Shorts:	135,951	485,238	65,091
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.1 to 1	1.0 to 1	0.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	55.6	42.9	71.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-4.7	4.9	0.4

SOYBEAN OIL Futures:

The SOYBEAN OIL large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 50,207 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -15,862 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 66,069 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 69.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 31.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 64.6 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

SOYBEAN OIL Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	23.0	43.9	5.9
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	14.8	53.6	4.4
– Net Position:	50,207	-59,523	9,316
– Gross Longs:	141,004	268,812	36,141
– Gross Shorts:	90,797	328,335	26,825
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.6 to 1	0.8 to 1	1.3 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	69.6	31.3	64.6
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-4.9	4.7	-1.4

SOYBEAN MEAL Futures:

The SOYBEAN MEAL large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -48,128 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 10,184 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -58,312 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 14.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 87.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 38.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Downtrend.

SOYBEAN MEAL Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	17.7	50.0	7.8
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	25.1	45.2	5.2
– Net Position:	-48,128	31,206	16,922
– Gross Longs:	115,221	326,017	50,621
– Gross Shorts:	163,349	294,811	33,699
– 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):	14.7	87.3	38.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	14.2	-12.0	-35.0

LIVE CATTLE Futures:

The LIVE CATTLE large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 106,141 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of 0 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 106,141 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 82.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 21.3 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Uptrend.

LIVE CATTLE Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	48.3	28.7	7.4
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	20.8	50.6	13.0
– Net Position:	106,141	-84,582	-21,559
– Gross Longs:	186,130	110,318	28,487
– Gross Shorts:	79,989	194,900	50,046
– Long to Short Ratio:	2.3 to 1	0.6 to 1	0.6 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	82.6	19.3	21.3
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	4.8	-6.9	2.8

LEAN HOGS Futures:

The LEAN HOGS large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 69,709 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -4,218 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 73,927 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 with a score of 20.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 43.9 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

LEAN HOGS Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	44.7	28.2	5.7
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	23.7	47.6	7.4
– Net Position:	69,709	-64,123	-5,586
– Gross Longs:	148,031	93,494	18,865
– Gross Shorts:	78,322	157,617	24,451
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.9 to 1	0.6 to 1	0.8 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	79.9	20.3	43.9
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bullish	Bearish	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-16.0	16.3	6.4

COTTON Futures:

The COTTON large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -35,105 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 3,334 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -38,439 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 16.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 84.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 20.8 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Weak Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Weak Downtrend.

COTTON Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	28.2	46.9	4.9
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	42.7	32.2	5.0
– Net Position:	-35,105	35,326	-221
– Gross Longs:	67,937	113,021	11,819
– Gross Shorts:	103,042	77,695	12,040
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.7 to 1	1.5 to 1	1.0 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	16.4	84.9	20.8
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bearish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-3.3	3.0	1.0

COCOA Futures:

The COCOA large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 12,029 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -1,720 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 13,749 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 22.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 77.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 62.5 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Uptrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Uptrend.

COCOA Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	28.9	40.9	12.3
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	15.8	58.5	7.7
– Net Position:	12,029	-16,261	4,232
– Gross Longs:	26,611	37,589	11,283
– Gross Shorts:	14,582	53,850	7,051
– Long to Short Ratio:	1.8 to 1	0.7 to 1	1.6 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	22.2	77.3	62.5
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish	Bullish	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-0.6	0.3	3.0

WHEAT Futures:

The WHEAT large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -93,618 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -4,572 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -89,046 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 19.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 81.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 61.6 percent.

Price Trend-Following Model: Strong Downtrend

Our weekly trend-following model classifies the current market price position as: Strong Downtrend.

WHEAT Futures Statistics	SPECULATORS	COMMERCIALS	SMALL TRADERS
– Percent of Open Interest Longs:	26.3	39.7	7.5
– Percent of Open Interest Shorts:	45.3	20.9	7.2
– Net Position:	-93,618	92,339	1,279
– Gross Longs:	129,713	195,592	36,833
– Gross Shorts:	223,331	103,253	35,554
– Long to Short Ratio:	0.6 to 1	1.9 to 1	1.0 to 1
NET POSITION TREND:
– Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct):	19.8	81.8	61.6
– Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range):	Bearish-Extreme	Bullish-Extreme	Bullish
NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:
– 6-Week Change in Strength Index:	-25.7	20.8	51.5

Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Updates Financial News Soft Commodities

22 Aug

PMI data highlights the resilience of major European economies. Japan to raise interest rate on long-term government bonds

By JustMarkets

On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (US30) fell by 0.34%, the S&P 500 (US500) dropped by 0.40%, and the Nasdaq (US100) closed down 0.34%. Walmart influenced the sentiment, plunging 4.5% after missing quarterly earnings expectations for the first time since 2022, despite raising its full-year sales and profit expectations. Weakness in other retail stocks heightened concerns about consumer resilience amid higher tariffs and uneven spending. On the data front, jobless claims rose more than expected, while the S&P Global Composite PMI indicated the highest rate of business activity in three years, suggesting a mixed economic backdrop. Investors are now awaiting a speech from Fed Chair Powell on Friday for signals on the Central Bank’s next moves. Futures are pricing in a 73% probability of a September rate cut.

The Mexican peso stabilized at 18.76 per dollar. Markets were digesting Banxico’s decision to cut its key rate by 25 basis points to 7.75% in a split vote. The minutes highlighted that headline inflation for July declined to 3.51%, while core inflation remained elevated at 4.23%. This combination points to both monetary easing and lingering inflation concerns.

European stock markets traded with mixed dynamics yesterday. Germany’s DAX (DE40) rose by 0.07%, France’s CAC 40 (FR40) closed down 0.44%, Spain’s IBEX35 (ES35) rose by 0.08%, and the UK’s FTSE 100 (UK100) closed up 0.23%. Frankfurt’s DAX pared its earlier losses to close slightly higher as traders weighed encouraging PMI data and positive developments in US-EU trade against ongoing uncertainty surrounding peace talks in Ukraine. Preliminary PMI data for August underscored the resilience of major European economies in the face of US tariffs and global uncertainty. Germany’s private sector activity in August rose slightly from the previous month, driven by higher-than-expected manufacturing figures. On the trade front, Brussels and Washington today released a long-awaited joint statement on a trade deal they brokered nearly a month ago, confirming that automobiles, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals would be subject to no more than 15% tariffs upon import to the US.

WTI crude oil prices rose by 1.3% to $63.5 per barrel on Thursday, supported by signs of high US demand and uncertainty regarding efforts to end the war in Ukraine. A sharp 6 million-barrel reduction in US crude oil inventories, significantly exceeding expectations, also boosted sentiment, although an increase in Cushing stockpiles suggests that underlying demand may be less robust. Geopolitical tensions escalated, with Russia warning that peace efforts without Moscow’s participation are futile and the US announcing new tariffs on Indian goods in response to Delhi’s heavy reliance on Russian oil imports.

Asian markets also traded without any clear trend yesterday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 (JP225) fell by 0.65%, China’s FTSE China A50 (CHA50) rose by 0.51%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HK50) fell by 0.24%, and Australia’s ASX 200 (AU200) showed a positive result of 1.13%.

Japan’s Ministry of Finance is preparing to raise the assumed interest rate on long-term government bonds to 2.6% in its budget requests for the 2026/27 fiscal year, which would be the highest level in 17 years. The previously assumed bond interest rate was set at 2.1% at the budget request stage for fiscal year 2025, and was later revised down to 2.0% in the final budget. The planned rate increase will lead to higher debt servicing costs. According to Kyodo News, the finance ministry will allocate about 30 trillion yen (approximately $202 billion) for debt service in its 2026/27 fiscal year budget request. This will be a record high, driven by rising long-term interest rates, the report said.

Malaysia’s annual inflation rate in July 2025 rose to 1.2% from a 4-year low of 1.1% in June, matching market expectations. Core inflation, which excludes volatile prices for fresh food and administrative services, has held at 1.8% y/y for the third consecutive month, remaining at its highest level since November 2023. On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose by 0.1%, matching the increase from the previous three months.

S&P 500 (US500) 6,370.17 −25.61 (−0.40%)

Dow Jones (US30) 44,785.50 −152.81 (−0.34%)

DAX (DE40) 24,293.34 +16.37 (+0.07%)

FTSE 100 (UK100) 9,309.20 +21.06 (+0.23%)

USD Index 98.65 +0.43 (+0.44%)

News feed for: 2025.08.22

Japan National Core CPI (m/m) at 02:30 (GMT+3);
Singapore Inflation Rate (m/m) at 08:00 (GMT+3);
UK Retail Sales (m/m) at 09:00 (GMT+3);
Canada Retail Sales (m/m) at 15:30 (GMT+3);
US Fed Chair Powell Speaks at 17:00 (GMT+3);
Jackson Hole Symposium (Day 2).

By JustMarkets

Economics & Fundamentals Financial News

22 Aug

GBP/USD: Friday correction after surge

By RoboForex Analytical Department

On Friday, the GBP/USD pair declined to 1.3401 after strong gains earlier in the week. The previous rally was triggered by July business activity data, which showed the best performance in a year, mainly supported by the services sector.

The release came alongside fresh UK inflation statistics, which briefly lifted sterling. However, economists noted that the price acceleration was largely driven by airfare increases rather than broad-based inflationary pressure, meaning its effect on the Bank of England policy remains limited.

Money markets are currently pricing in less than a 50% chance of a rate cut before the end of 2025. The probability of a 25-basis-point cut this year stands at only 36%, while investors do not expect the next move in interest rates before spring 2026. Since the start of 2025, the pound has already gained almost 8% against the US dollar.

Technical analysis of GBP/USD

The market built a consolidation range around 1.3472 and broke it to the downside. A decline to 1.3350 is possible, followed by a correction bounce back to 1.3472. The downtrend may later extend to 1.3270. This outlook is supported by the MACD indicator, whose signal line remains below zero and is pointing sharply downwards, confirming bearish momentum.

On the H1 timeframe, the market nearly completed a corrective wave at 1.3594 before starting a new downward movement. A decline to 1.3350 is expected, after which a short-term pullback to 1.3472 is likely. The Stochastic oscillator confirms this view: its signal line is below 50, moving downwards towards 20, indicating further downside pressure.

Summary

After a strong rally, GBP/USD entered a corrective phase. Technical indicators suggest a bearish outlook with 1.3350 and 1.3270 as key downside targets, while 1.3472 may serve as a corrective rebound level.

Disclaimer

Financial News Forex and Currency News

21 Aug

Would You Invest in a Despised Company?

Source: Chris Reilly (8/20/25)

Chris Reilly of RiskHedge takes a look at how some of the most influential market-changing businesses were once despised.

You’ve heard of the phrase “buy when there’s blood in the streets.”

Baron Rothschild invented this expression in 1815 during the Battle of Waterloo. While British forces clashed with Napoleon’s army, the Baron wagered his entire personal wealth on British government securities.

No one was willing to finance Britain when defeat seemed possible, but Rothschild deployed his capital when the streets were literally covered in blood.

And following Britain’s victory over Napoleon, he catapulted to the pinnacle of global wealth rankings.

Rothschild employed one of the most reliable strategies for financial success. He identified an asset everyone avoided . . . Acquired it . . . And patiently waited for sentiment to shift in his direction.

Purchasing a disliked investment is challenging in practice. You’ll experience feelings of recklessness. Yet acquiring underappreciated gems frequently leads to substantial returns. Indeed, numerous revolutionary market leaders share an unusual characteristic — they were initially disliked.

Consider Netflix

We recognize Netflix Inc. (NFLX:NASDAQ) as the innovator that created online streaming. But previously. . .

Netflix began as the pioneer in digital DVD rental services. Remember ordering films online and receiving discs in your mailbox days later? Americans adored the original Netflix. You enjoyed unlimited films for merely $10 monthly.

Netflix eliminated the worst aspect of movie rentals: late penalties. In fact, it was so popular that many Americans barely noticed when Netflix introduced streaming in 2007. They preferred physical discs! By 2011, Netflix had surpassed 20 million subscribers. And they continued shipping millions of DVDs in their signature envelopes daily.

Additionally, they were spending $600 million on postal expenses. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings developed a strategic plan to transition customers away from physical media.

He recognized streaming would eventually eliminate physical formats. So Hastings decided it was time to make a decisive move toward streaming. Against his team’s recommendations, he divided Netflix subscriptions. Customers could now stream content for just $8 monthly.

However, those still wanting DVD rentals would need to pay $16 monthly — a 60% increase. While Netflix was prepared to commit fully to streaming, customers weren’t — and they rebelled. Netflix lost approximately one million subscribers within several months. And its stock value dropped 77%:

Hastings’ reputation plummeted. He transitioned from being named Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year in 2010 . . . to The New York Times’ “Worst CEO” of 2011.

Interestingly, this presented an extraordinary opportunity to acquire Netflix shares. Hastings’ transition to streaming proved to be among the most brilliant corporate decisions. As streaming quality improved, most consumers discarded their DVD players.

Indeed, Netflix completely transformed our viewing habits. Physical DVDs now seem prehistoric. Netflix had 20 million paying subscribers in 2011 when they gambled everything on streaming. Today they exceed 300 million. And investors who purchased Netflix in 2011, when most avoided it, have realized enormous profits.

Now, Examine Tesla

During Tesla Inc.’s (TSLA:NASDAQ) initial decade, Tesla exclusively sold luxury electric vehicles exceeding $70,000. But in 2016, Musk unveiled their first mainstream vehicle, the Model 3. Tesla planned to price the Model 3 at just $35,000, making it accessible to millions of middle-income buyers.

This vehicle was poised to revolutionize the automotive industry. Its introduction should have marked Tesla’s defining moment. Instead, it nearly bankrupted the company. In 2015, Tesla was manufacturing approximately three vehicles daily.

To successfully produce the mainstream Model 3, they would need to manufacture 5,000 vehicles weekly. Tesla wasn’t prepared for this massive production increase and consistently missed targets.

Elon Musk worked 22 hours daily, seven days a week, addressing production challenges. He regularly slept at the factory because he “didn’t have time to go home and shower.” Yet almost a year after the Model 3 launch, Tesla still struggled to produce even 2,000 vehicles weekly. When earnings declined due to unexpectedly high production expenses, its stock plunged to nearly its lowest point since 2016:

Tesla’s shares had stagnated for five years, becoming Wall Street’s most despised stock. Investment bank Morgan Stanley reduced its worst-case projection to $10/share. Investors wagered a record $15 billion against Tesla’s stock. This was more than twice the amount bet against any other market stock.

Just as collapse seemed imminent, Tesla rebounded dramatically. In late 2019, they surprised Wall Street by delivering a record 97,000 vehicles. Tesla followed with another milestone, shipping over 100,000 vehicles in a single quarter for the first time. Investors who purchased Tesla at its lowest point have been handsomely rewarded.

What’s the Key To Investing in Despised Stocks?

Investing revolves around expectations. Stocks frequently rise — and fall — based on performance relative to investor expectations. When people believe a company will dominate globally, it creates a significant threshold that’s difficult to surpass.

For instance, in 2006, Alphabet Inc. Class A (GOOGL:NASDAQ) announced a 97% revenue increase. You might assume the stock soared following exceptional earnings, correct?

Instead, it plummeted 16% at market opening. Essentially, Wall Street was disappointed because analysts expected Google to grow revenue by over 100%.

Conversely, when investors dislike a stock, they establish such minimal expectations that exceeding them becomes almost inevitable.

So when a disliked company — like Tesla — delivers more vehicles than investors anticipate, its value skyrockets. Ultimately, if you’re seeking substantial returns, you should consider investing in despised stocks.

For more insights, subscribe to our investing letter, The Jolt.

We publish fresh research and analysis on today’s big disruption investing opportunities.

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Important Disclosures:

As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Tesla Inc.
Chris Reilly: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own securities of: None. My company has a financial relationship with: None. My company has purchased stocks mentioned in this article for my management clients: None. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector.
Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports, Street Smart, or their officers. The author is wholly responsible for the accuracy of the statements. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Any disclosures from the author can be found below. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy.
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