01What do the COT charts show?
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The COT charts plot weekly Non-Commercial, Commercial and Non-Reportable net positions over time, with optional overlays for open interest and the underlying market price (settled weekly). Visual time-series make it easier to spot positioning extremes, divergences and rotations than reading raw numbers in a table.
02How far back do the COT charts go?
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Legacy Futures Only data goes back to 1986. Disaggregated and Traders in Financial Futures (TFF) data go back to June 2006, and Supplemental Index Traders data to January 2006 — the CFTC backfilled these histories before the reports were formally introduced (2009–2010). The chart period selector covers year-to-date, 3 and 6 months and 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 years; Premium custom date ranges reach back to the start of each history.
03Why is the price overlay weekly instead of daily?
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COT data is published weekly with positions captured as of Tuesday's close. To match, the price overlay uses the closing price of that same Tuesday (the report date) from Yahoo Finance for the front-month contract (or a continuous mapped contract), or of the nearest trading day when that Tuesday was a holiday. Daily price would create alignment artifacts since positioning data has no intraday granularity.
04Are the COT Charts free?
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Yes — Charts are fully open. Every CFTC market and every time period is accessible to all visitors with no signup or login. The chart engine is the only surface on the site that bypasses the historical-period gate that applies to other report formats.
05How do I spot a positioning extreme on the chart?
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Look at where the Non-Commercial net position sits relative to its multi-year range. When the green line touches the upper end of its historical channel, large speculators are crowded long — a level that has historically often come before reversals. When it touches the lower end, they are crowded short. Crossings of the zero line often coincide with trend changes.
06What is the difference between the COT charts and the COT Index?
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The COT charts show each trader group's net position in contracts, week by week, against price and open interest. The COT Index takes one group's net position and places it on a 0-100 scale between its lowest and highest reading of a lookback window (26, 52, 156 or 260 weeks), so a positioning extreme reads the same way in every market. The charts show the size and direction of positioning; the COT Index page shows where it sits in its own range.
07How often are the COT charts updated?
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Once a week. The CFTC publishes the Commitments of Traders report every Friday at 3:30 PM ET, with positions as of the Tuesday of the same week; when a US federal holiday falls in the week, the release comes later. The COT charts and the figures on this page move to the new report as soon as it is on the site.
08Which markets have COT charts?
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Every market in the CFTC’s Legacy report: 350+ futures markets, from currencies, stock indices and interest rates to energy, metals, grains, softs, livestock and crypto. Pick one in the control panel above or among the popular markets under it. The charts open on Futures Only data; the Futures & Options Combined view is part of COT Premium.
09What does COT Premium add to the COT charts?
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The COT charts themselves are free: every market and every period, with no account. COT Premium adds the Futures & Options Combined view of the same chart, the Advanced Charts and the Disaggregated, TFF and Supplemental reports. On the report tables, visitors see the last 6 months and a free account opens up to 10 years.
10How do I read the net position on a COT chart?
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The net position is the contracts a group holds long minus the contracts it holds short. Above the zero line the group is net long, below it net short; the further from zero, the larger its net position. Compare it with open interest to see how large it is for that market. Commercials (hedgers) are often on the other side of the large speculators, because they offset the price risk of their business.