What Is COT Analysis?
COT (Commitment of Traders) analysis is a method of evaluating market sentiment by examining the weekly positioning data published by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Every week, the CFTC releases a report showing how commercial hedgers, large speculators, and small traders are positioned in U.S. futures markets. By analyzing changes in these positions over time, traders can gauge whether the "smart money" is accumulating long or short positions — often a leading indicator of major price moves in currencies, commodities, and financial futures.
How to Use This COT Analysis Tool
- 1
Select a Date Range
Choose a "From" and "To" date to define the period you want to analyze. COT data is released weekly, so selecting a range of several weeks gives you the best trend visibility.
- 2
Review Market Sentiment
Check the Market Situation (Bullish/Bearish) and Market Sentiment columns to understand the current positioning bias and its direction. Look for "Increasing Bullish" or "Decreasing Bearish" signals for potential entry points.
- 3
Watch for Reversal Signals
The Reversal Trend column flags contracts where positioning is shifting in a way that historically precedes trend changes. Use these signals alongside your technical analysis for confirmation.
- 4
Export and Analyze
Use the Refresh button to reload data or Export CSV to download the analysis for further study in Excel, Google Sheets, or Python.
COT Report Sectors Explained
Currencies
Covers major and emerging market currency futures including EUR, GBP, JPY, AUD, CAD, CHF, and BRL. COT data for currencies is widely used by forex traders to gauge institutional positioning.
Financials
Includes Treasury bonds, notes, Eurodollars, and interest rate futures. Positioning in financials reflects expectations about monetary policy, inflation, and economic growth.
Agriculture
Covers corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, sugar, coffee, and livestock futures. Agricultural COT data helps traders understand supply/demand dynamics and seasonal patterns.
Energy
Includes crude oil, natural gas, gasoline, and heating oil futures. Energy COT positioning is closely watched for signals about global demand and OPEC policy impacts.
Metals
Covers gold, silver, copper, platinum, and palladium futures. Metals COT data is essential for understanding safe-haven flows and industrial demand trends.
Indices
Includes S&P 500, NASDAQ, Dow Jones, and Russell 2000 futures. Index COT positioning reveals institutional risk appetite and equity market sentiment.
Why Use Our Free COT Analysis Tool?
Institutional Positioning Insights
See how commercial hedgers and large speculators are positioned. When commercials and speculators diverge, it often signals a potential trend change — giving you an edge over retail-only analysis.
Reversal Trend Detection
Our analysis automatically flags contracts showing reversal patterns in net positioning. Catch potential trend changes early before they appear in price action.
Free CSV Export
Export COT analysis data to CSV format for further analysis in Excel, Google Sheets, Python, R, or any data analysis tool. Build your own models on top of our data.
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