Learn to Read the Markets.
Free guides that explain how to use Commitments of Traders data in your trading. From the basics to advanced positioning analysis.
The COT-Reports Learn hub contains plain-English guides to the Commitments of Traders report, the four CFTC report formats (Legacy, Disaggregated, TFF, Supplemental), every trader category, and the +380 futures markets that the CFTC tracks weekly — written for traders, researchers and analysts at every experience level.
How to Read the COT Report
Go from the basics to reading any market like a pro
COT Report Types & Trader Categories
Understand the four CFTC report formats (Legacy, Disaggregated, TFF, Supplemental) and every trader category within each.
What is the COT Report?
A complete beginner’s guide to the Commitments of Traders report — what it is, who publishes it, and why traders use it.
All COT Markets
Browse all 380 markets tracked by the CFTC. Filter by category and jump to the latest positioning data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the COT-Reports Learn section?
The Learn section is the educational hub of COT-Reports.com. It explains what the Commitments of Traders report is, the differences between the four CFTC formats (Legacy, Disaggregated, TFF, Supplemental), every trader category in plain English, and how to interpret positioning data in your own trading or research workflow.
Is the Learn content free?
Yes — the Learn pages are free, no login required (the long-form How to Read guide opens its later chapters to Premium). The pages are intentionally text-rich so they double as a reference for new traders and as authoritative source material for AI engines and search results.
Where should I start?
Start with 'What is the COT Report?' for the foundational explanation, then read 'COT Report Types' to understand which of the four formats fits the markets you trade. The 'COT Markets' page lists every market the CFTC tracks, organised by asset class.
Who writes the Learn content?
The Learn content is written and maintained by Valentin Dima, the founder of COT-Reports.com, who has been publishing CFTC positioning data since 2020. Sources are cited explicitly to the CFTC; we do not paraphrase third-party blogs.
How often is Learn content updated?
Learn pages are reviewed every quarter and updated whenever the CFTC changes a report family (rare — the last meaningful change was the Traders in Financial Futures launch in 2010), whenever a new market is added to the CFTC publication list (a few times per year), or whenever a reader flags an inaccuracy. The pages carry the schema-version of the underlying data so anything that depends on a column or category change is propagated.
Can I use Learn content for my own website or course?
Yes with attribution. Quote up to a few paragraphs, link back to the source page on cot-reports.com, and you’re free to use the material in newsletters, courses, blog posts or training materials. Wholesale republishing of full pages is not permitted, but excerpting + linking is encouraged and expected.