Speculator Extremes: Cocoa, British Pound, Mexican Peso, Palladium & 2-Year Top Bullish & Bearish Positions

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The latest update for the weekly Commitment of Traders (COT) report was released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday for data ending on July 25.

This weekly extreme positions report highlights the most bullish and most bearish positions for the speculator category. Extreme positioning in these markets can foreshadow strong moves in the underlying market.

To signify an extreme position, we use the Strength Index (also known as the COT Index) of each instrument, a common method of measuring COT data. The Strength Index is simply a comparison of current trader positions against the range of positions over the previous three years. We define over 80% as extremely bullish and under 20% as extremely bearish (you can compare Strength Index scores across all markets in the data table or the COT leaders table).

Here are the week's most bullish speculator positions.


Cocoa Futures

The cocoa futures speculator positioning came in as the most bullish extreme standing this week. The cocoa futures speculator level is currently at a 99.9% score of its three-year range.

The six-week trend for the strength score totaled -0.1 this week. The overall net speculator position was a total of 77,894 net contracts this week, with a change of 1,406 contract in the weekly speculator bets.


British Pound

The British pound speculator positioning came next in the extreme standings this week. The British pound speculator level is now at a 96.7% score of its three-year range.

The six-week trend for the strength score was 36.3 this week. The speculator position registered 58,995 net contracts this week, with a weekly change of -4,734 contracts in speculator bets.


Speculators or Non-Commercials Notes

Speculators, classified as non-commercial traders by the CFTC, are made up of large commodity funds, hedge funds, and other significant for-profit participants. The speculators are generally regarded as trend-followers in their behavior towards price action – net speculator bets and prices tend to go in the same directions.

These traders often look to buy when prices are rising and sell when prices are falling. To illustrate this point, speculator contracts can often be found at their most extremes (bullish or bearish) when prices are also close to their highest or lowest levels.

These extreme levels can be dangerous for large speculators. When the trade is most crowded, there is less trading ammunition still sitting on the sidelines to push the trend further, and prices have often moved a significant distance.

When the trend becomes exhausted, some speculators take profits while others look to also exit positions when prices fail to continue in the same direction. This process usually plays out over many months to years, and it can ultimately create a reverse effect where prices start to fall and speculators start a process of selling when prices are falling.


Mexican Peso

The Mexican peso speculator positioning came in third this week in the extreme standings. The Mexican peso speculator level resides at a 92.8% score of its three-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score came in at 5.5 this week. The overall speculator position was 87,841 net contracts this week, with a change of -6,651 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.


VIX

The VIX speculator positioning came up number four in the extreme standings this week. The VIX speculator level is at a 88.7% score of its three-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score totaled a change of 18.5 this week. The overall speculator position was -42,142 net contracts this week, with a change of -1,853 contracts in the speculator bets.


Euro

The euro speculator positioning rounded out the top five in this week’s bullish extreme standings. The euro speculator level sits at a 86.7% score of its three-year range. The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was 9.8 this week. The speculator position was 177,230 net contracts this, week with a change of -1,602 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.

Now, here are the week's most bearish speculator positions.


Palladium

The palladium speculator positioning came in as the most bearish extreme standing this week. The palladium speculator level is at a 0.0% score of its three-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -10.2 this week. The overall speculator position was -8,377 net contracts this week, with a change of -27 contracts in the speculator bets.


2-Year Bond

The 2-year bond speculator position comes in next for the most bearish extreme standing on the week. The 2-year bond speculator level is at a 0.0% score of its three-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -8.1 this week. The speculator position was -1,146,046 net contracts this week, with a change of -26,666 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.


One-Month Secured Overnight Financing Rate

The one-month secured overnight financing rate speculator positioning came in as third most bearish extreme standing of the week. The one-month secured overnight financing rate speculator level resides at a 0.0% score of its three-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -44.7 this week. The overall speculator position was -251,634 net contracts this week, with a change of -14,005 contracts in the speculator bets.


5-Year Bond

The 5-year bond speculator positioning came in as this week’s fourth most bearish extreme standing. The 5-year bond speculator level is at a 0.6% score of its three-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -8.3 this week. The speculator position was -1,137,851 net contracts this week, with a change of 7,638 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.


Ultra U.S. Treasury Bonds

Finally, the ultra U.S. Treasury bonds speculator positioning came in as the fifth most bearish extreme standing for this week. The ultra U.S. Treasury bonds speculator level is at a 2.5% score of its three-year range.

The six-week trend for the speculator strength score was -19.7 this week. The speculator position was -444,625 net contracts this week, with a change of -5,228 contracts in the weekly speculator bets.


Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Newsletter

COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is three days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets.

The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits), and non-reportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting). See CFTC criteria here.


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COT Speculator Extremes: British Pound, Palladium Lead Bullish & Bearish Positions

Disclosure: Foreign Currency trading and trading on margin carries a high level of risk and can result in loss of part or all of your investment.Due to the level of risk and market volatility, ...

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