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Below are some common questions regarding our site and the COT reports:
When will you update your website with new COT reports?
We update our website every Friday afternoon (U.S. time, excluding U.S. holidays), immediately after the CFTC releases new COT reports. Each COT report release includes data from the previous Tuesday.
Why do the COT reports on your website appear to be out of date?
The COT data on our site is current. Each new COT report, released on Fridays, covers data from the previous Tuesday. Therefore, reports may appear to be up to 10 days "out of date," which is normal due to this reporting schedule.
What is the Commitments of Traders (COT) report?
The COT report is a weekly publication by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) detailing the aggregate holdings of different participants in the U.S. futures market. It provides transparency by showing the positions of commercial traders, non-commercial traders, and non-reportable positions as of each Tuesday, with the report released every Friday.
How can I use the COT report in my trading strategy?
Use COT reports to compare a trader group's current net position with its own history and to track changes between reports. Net long means more long contracts than shorts; it does not establish a bullish outlook. Commercial traders often use futures to hedge business exposure, and speculative groups can also hold spreads or offsetting positions. Check the report date, the group's role, price action, and later reports before drawing a trading conclusion.
Across the complete market, each open futures contract has both a long and a short side. Tradingster's positioning tools display a subset of trader groups, so the displayed net positions need not sum to zero. Opposite group extremes do not provide independent confirmation of a price forecast. See the CFTC explanatory notes.
Why does the COT report data reflect positions from Tuesday and not more recent data?
The CFTC collects data from reporting firms on Wednesday mornings, reflecting positions held as of the previous Tuesday. After processing and verifying the data, the CFTC releases the COT report on Friday afternoons. This schedule ensures accuracy but results in a lag between the report date and the publication date.
Are there different types of COT reports?
Yes, there are several types of COT reports:
- Legacy Reports: These provide a breakdown of open interest positions into commercial and non-commercial categories.
- Supplemental Reports: Focus on specific agricultural commodities, detailing positions of index traders.
- Disaggregated Reports: Offer a more detailed view by splitting traders into categories like producers, swap dealers, managed money, and other reportables.
- Traders in Financial Futures Reports: Cover financial contracts such as currencies and stock indexes, categorizing traders into dealer/intermediary, asset manager/institutional, leveraged funds, and other reportables.
Which type of COT report should I use?
Choose the report that answers your question. Legacy provides a broad commercial/noncommercial split. Disaggregated separates physical commodity hedgers, swap dealers, Managed Money, and other reportables. Financial/TFF separates dealers, asset managers, Leveraged Funds, and other reportables for financial futures.
Compare groups within the same contract, report type, and date. Report families overlap and use different classifications, so their readings should not be counted as independent votes. Each group's historical range describes that group's positioning, not the market's future direction.
How does Tradingster.com source its COT data?
Tradingster.com retrieves COT data directly from the CFTC's official publications. By processing this data, we present it in user-friendly charts and formats, enabling traders to analyze market positions effectively.
Can I access historical COT data on Tradingster.com?
Yes, Tradingster.com offers historical COT data, allowing users to analyze trends over time. By accessing our COT reports section, you can view and compare data from previous weeks, months, or years to inform your trading decisions.
How often should I consult the COT report for my trading activities?
Given that the COT report is released weekly, many traders incorporate it into their weekly analysis routine. Regular consultation can help in understanding market dynamics and positioning, but it's advisable to use it alongside daily market analyses and other indicators for a comprehensive trading strategy.
