Derivatives positioning
Who holds the futures market: CFTC Commitments of Traders
Weekly net positioning by trader class across a curated financial core of 15 US futures markets: the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100, the 2-year and 10-year Treasury notes and the long bond, 3-month SOFR, seven major currencies, and gold and WTI crude as the two finance-adjacent commodities. Traders in Financial Futures (TFF) classes from Jun 13, 2006, legacy commercial and non-commercial classes from Jan 15, 1986, all from the CFTC's own historical files. Each net position is normalized by open interest and ranked against that market's own history, which is how the 2023-2025 Treasury basis-trade footprint shows up below as the deepest leveraged-funds net short the 10-year contract has ever recorded.
Data as of Jul 14, 2026 report week (CFTC COT, futures only)
What this data is. The CFTC states that the COT reports "provide a breakdown of each Tuesday's open interest for futures and options on futures markets in which 20 or more traders hold positions equal to or above the reporting levels established by the CFTC," and that "the COT Report is generally published each Friday at 3:30 pm Eastern Time (US), using the data from the immediately preceding Tuesday of that week." Everything on this page is therefore a Tuesday snapshot of positions published with a three-day lag, from the futures-only series.
What it is not. Positions are stocks, not flows: a week-over-week change nets out everything that happened in between. Classifications are self-reported on CFTC Form 40 and adjusted by Commission staff, not audited portfolio labels, and the CFTC itself cautions in the TFF Explanatory Notes that it "does not maintain a history of large-trader classifications," so pre-2010 TFF history was "backcast" with recent classifications, an approach that "diminishes the data's accuracy as it goes further back in time." Positioning extremes describe crowding, not direction: they are not price predictions. Spreading positions (equal long and short held by the same trader) are excluded from the net by construction.
Two classification schemes. For financial futures the TFF report splits reportable traders into dealer/intermediary (the sell side), asset manager/institutional, leveraged funds ("typically hedge funds and various types of money managers"), and other reportables. Gold and WTI are physical-commodity markets outside the TFF universe, so they are carried here from the legacy report's two classes: commercial (traders "engaged in business activities hedged by the use of the futures or option markets," in Form 40's words) and non-commercial, the speculative side. See the methodology for exact market codes, files, and checks.
At a 5-year positioning extreme now
Every market-class reading from the Jul 14, 2026 report ranked inside its own trailing 5 years of weekly net-share history. Listed: the 8 of 56 readings sitting at or beyond their 5th/95th percentile. A percentile near 100 is a crowded long, near 0 a crowded short; neither is a forecast.
| Market | Trader class | Net, % of OI | Net contracts | 5y percentile | 5y range, % of OI | Side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-year Treasury note | Asset manager / institutional | +47.5% | 2,512,431 | 100 | -2.5% .. +47.5% | crowded long |
| Nasdaq-100 (consolidated) | Leveraged funds | -26.1% | -80,323 | 1 | -27.0% .. +6.3% | crowded short |
| British pound | Asset manager / institutional | -49.6% | -131,404 | 2 | -53.0% .. +18.0% | crowded short |
| 3-month SOFR | Dealer / intermediary | +24.0% | 3,162,250 | 98 | -9.8% .. +26.6% | crowded long |
| 3-month SOFR | Leveraged funds | -21.1% | -2,786,954 | 3 | -22.7% .. +13.1% | crowded short |
| 10-year Treasury note | Dealer / intermediary | -9.3% | -493,035 | 3 | -11.4% .. +1.6% | crowded short |
| WTI crude oil | Non-commercial | +3.3% | 62,683 | 4 | +2.0% .. +20.2% | crowded short |
| 2-year Treasury note | Dealer / intermediary | -10.3% | -458,882 | 5 | -11.7% .. -0.1% | crowded short |
Source: CFTC, Commitments of Traders Percentile = share of that market-class's weekly net-share readings in the trailing 5 years at or below the latest. Jul 14, 2026 report. Methodology
Equity indexes
Consolidated S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures (full-size, E-mini and micro combined by the CFTC). In the latest report the asset-manager net is +48.1% of S&P 500 open interest (90th percentile of its trailing 5 years) and the leveraged-funds net is -18.9% (25th percentile). Dealers, the sell side of the products they design, have been net short in most weeks of this history.
S&P 500 (consolidated) CME 13874+ | TFF | from Jun 15, 2010
Nasdaq-100 (consolidated) CME 20974+ | TFF | from Jun 15, 2010
Source: CFTC historical compressed files | TFF Explanatory Notes Net = long minus short, futures only, All positions; spreading excluded by construction. Y axis in % of open interest; dashed line at zero. Methodology
Rates: Treasuries and SOFR
The 10-year note is where the Treasury cash-futures basis trade leaves its footprint: leveraged funds short futures against long cash bonds, asset managers long futures on the other side. Leveraged funds' 10Y net set successive all-time short records through 2023-2024, reaching -2,184,910 contracts on Aug 20, 2024 against a deepest pre-2023 reading of -1,154,799, and hit its record of -2,534,616 contracts (-44.9% of open interest) on Aug 26, 2025. At the Jul 14, 2026 report the leveraged-funds net was -2,079,653 (-39.4%) and the asset-manager net 2,512,431 contracts.
2-year Treasury note CBOT 042601 | TFF | from Jun 13, 2006
10-year Treasury note CBOT 043602 | TFF | from Jun 13, 2006
Treasury bond (long bond) CBOT 020601 | TFF | from Jun 13, 2006
3-month SOFR CME 134741 | TFF | from Jul 24, 2018
Source: CFTC historical compressed files | TFF Explanatory Notes Net = long minus short, futures only, All positions; spreading excluded by construction. Y axis in % of open interest; dashed line at zero. Methodology
Foreign exchange
Euro FX CME 099741 | TFF | from Jun 13, 2006
Japanese yen CME 097741 | TFF | from Jun 13, 2006
British pound CME 096742 | TFF | from Jun 13, 2006
Swiss franc CME 092741 | TFF | from Jun 13, 2006
Canadian dollar CME 090741 | TFF | from Jun 13, 2006
Australian dollar CME 232741 | TFF | from Jun 13, 2006
Mexican peso CME 095741 | TFF | from Jun 13, 2006
Source: CFTC historical compressed files | TFF Explanatory Notes Net = long minus short, futures only, All positions; spreading excluded by construction. Y axis in % of open interest; dashed line at zero. Methodology
Gold and WTI crude (legacy classes)
The two finance-adjacent commodities, carried from the legacy futures-only report whose classes run back to Jan 15, 1986. Commercial and non-commercial nets mirror each other mechanically (with the non-reportable remainder absorbing the difference). Gold's non-commercial net stands at +48.7% of open interest (79th percentile of its trailing 5 years).
Gold COMEX 088691 | legacy | from Jan 15, 1986
WTI crude oil NYMEX 067651 | legacy | from Jan 15, 1986
Source: CFTC historical compressed files | COT Explanatory Notes Net = long minus short, futures only, All positions; spreading excluded by construction. Y axis in % of open interest; dashed line at zero. Methodology
Latest reading vs own history, every market and class
All 56 market-class readings from the Jul 14, 2026 report, each ranked against its own full weekly history and its trailing 5 years. Full histories differ by market: Jan 15, 1986 for gold and WTI, Jun 13, 2006 for most TFF markets, later for consolidated equity indexes (2010) and SOFR (2018).
| Market | Trader class | Net contracts | Net, % of OI | 5y pctile | Full-history pctile | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 (consolidated) | Dealer / intermediary | -699,781 | -35.7% | 18 | 6 | 840 |
| Asset manager / institutional | 943,022 | +48.1% | 90 | 97 | 840 | |
| Leveraged funds | -370,589 | -18.9% | 25 | 8 | 840 | |
| Other reportables | -162 | -0.0% | 62 | 77 | 840 | |
| Nasdaq-100 (consolidated) | Dealer / intermediary | -2,665 | -0.9% | 69 | 73 | 840 |
| Asset manager / institutional | 74,922 | +24.4% | 64 | 65 | 840 | |
| Leveraged funds | -80,323 | -26.1% | 1 | 0 | 840 | |
| Other reportables | -4,164 | -1.4% | 42 | 50 | 840 | |
| 2-year Treasury note | Dealer / intermediary | -458,882 | -10.3% | 5 | 6 | 1,049 |
| Asset manager / institutional | 1,872,815 | +41.9% | 57 | 89 | 1,049 | |
| Leveraged funds | -1,671,766 | -37.4% | 53 | 15 | 1,049 | |
| Other reportables | 184,616 | +4.1% | 61 | 68 | 1,049 | |
| 10-year Treasury note | Dealer / intermediary | -493,035 | -9.3% | 3 | 6 | 1,049 |
| Asset manager / institutional | 2,512,431 | +47.5% | 100 | 100 | 1,049 | |
| Leveraged funds | -2,079,653 | -39.4% | 17 | 4 | 1,049 | |
| Other reportables | 32,171 | +0.6% | 35 | 36 | 1,049 | |
| Treasury bond (long bond) | Dealer / intermediary | -266,153 | -14.4% | 5 | 18 | 1,049 |
| Asset manager / institutional | 540,033 | +29.3% | 64 | 74 | 1,049 | |
| Leveraged funds | -365,688 | -19.8% | 65 | 24 | 1,049 | |
| Other reportables | -10,797 | -0.6% | 34 | 57 | 1,049 | |
| 3-month SOFR | Dealer / intermediary | 3,162,250 | +24.0% | 98 | 99 | 416 |
| Asset manager / institutional | -483,061 | -3.7% | 23 | 23 | 416 | |
| Leveraged funds | -2,786,954 | -21.1% | 3 | 2 | 416 | |
| Other reportables | 105,955 | +0.8% | 92 | 95 | 416 | |
| Euro FX | Dealer / intermediary | -232,168 | -29.0% | 94 | 41 | 1,049 |
| Asset manager / institutional | 247,316 | +30.9% | 13 | 69 | 1,049 | |
| Leveraged funds | -53,691 | -6.7% | 6 | 39 | 1,049 | |
| Other reportables | 12,548 | +1.6% | 33 | 34 | 1,049 | |
| Japanese yen | Dealer / intermediary | 92,174 | +23.2% | 47 | 58 | 1,049 |
| Asset manager / institutional | -53,817 | -13.6% | 48 | 18 | 1,049 | |
| Leveraged funds | -90,461 | -22.8% | 24 | 31 | 1,049 | |
| Other reportables | 52,859 | +13.3% | 71 | 86 | 1,049 | |
| British pound | Dealer / intermediary | 109,230 | +41.2% | 94 | 77 | 1,049 |
| Asset manager / institutional | -131,404 | -49.6% | 2 | 0 | 1,049 | |
| Leveraged funds | 28,541 | +10.8% | 50 | 59 | 1,049 | |
| Other reportables | 624 | +0.2% | 84 | 82 | 1,049 | |
| Swiss franc | Dealer / intermediary | 64,809 | +59.8% | 83 | 88 | 1,049 |
| Asset manager / institutional | -41,589 | -38.4% | 25 | 6 | 1,049 | |
| Leveraged funds | -9,500 | -8.8% | 33 | 39 | 1,049 | |
| Other reportables | -165 | -0.2% | 28 | 43 | 1,049 | |
| Canadian dollar | Dealer / intermediary | 198,960 | +53.9% | 83 | 95 | 1,049 |
| Asset manager / institutional | -106,487 | -28.9% | 31 | 8 | 1,049 | |
| Leveraged funds | -92,771 | -25.2% | 11 | 18 | 1,049 | |
| Other reportables | 10,737 | +2.9% | 16 | 28 | 1,049 | |
| Australian dollar | Dealer / intermediary | -7,507 | -3.6% | 16 | 48 | 1,049 |
| Asset manager / institutional | -40,569 | -19.5% | 60 | 35 | 1,049 | |
| Leveraged funds | 27,222 | +13.1% | 88 | 53 | 1,049 | |
| Other reportables | 2,957 | +1.4% | 43 | 71 | 1,049 | |
| Mexican peso | Dealer / intermediary | -61,819 | -31.0% | 61 | 57 | 1,049 |
| Asset manager / institutional | 30,862 | +15.5% | 11 | 36 | 1,049 | |
| Leveraged funds | 53,799 | +27.0% | 90 | 75 | 1,049 | |
| Other reportables | -27,627 | -13.9% | 52 | 16 | 1,049 | |
| Gold | Non-commercial | 186,682 | +48.7% | 79 | 95 | 1,925 |
| Commercial | -214,788 | -56.0% | 20 | 5 | 1,925 | |
| WTI crude oil | Non-commercial | 62,683 | +3.3% | 4 | 36 | 1,924 |
| Commercial | -85,088 | -4.5% | 95 | 60 | 1,924 |
Source: CFTC, Commitments of Traders | CFTC historical compressed files US federal government work, public domain; data as published in the CFTC's historical compressed files plus the current-year files. Methodology
Related: repo-market volumes behind the basis trade on short-term funding; Treasury yields and term premia on rates. See the full methodology for files, market codes, class definitions, checks, and caveats.