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Forex market sentiment

How large speculators are positioned (CFTC Commitments of Traders) across the majors.

COT 2026-07-21

Smart-money positioning (COT)

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) publishes the net positioning of large non-commercial traders — hedge funds, investment banks and brokers — every week. Data measured on Tuesday, published the following Friday. "Net" is these traders' net position (long minus short) — a positive number means net long; "WoW" (week-over-week) shows how much that net position changed versus the previous report.

Euro

28%33%

Net: −41.338 · WoW: −28.733

Report: 2026-07-21

British pound

25%46%

Net: −55.561 · WoW: +15.692

Report: 2026-07-21

Japanese yen

25%61%

Net: −152.125 · WoW: −29.462

Report: 2026-07-21

Swiss franc

9%41%

Net: −34.242 · WoW: +2.714

Report: 2026-07-21

Canadian dollar

55%

Net: −174.448 · WoW: +1.831

Report: 2026-07-21

Australian dollar

29%46%

Net: −37.685 · WoW: −6.975

Report: 2026-07-21

New Zealand dollar

54%

Net: −49.969 · WoW: +12.797

Report: 2026-07-21

US dollar index

62%33%

Net: +15.614 · WoW: +2.441

Report: 2026-07-21

What this page shows — and what it does NOT

COT measures only large reportable traders on futures contracts listed at CME/ICE. It has a structural ~3-day lag (Tuesday report, Friday release).

Retail crowd sentiment (% long / % short on Myfxbook, FXSSI) is NOT shown — no free commercial source exists for that data.

  • COT data is always 3–7 days behind live markets.
  • Retail sentiment is available only through paid subscriptions from specialized providers.

COT source: CFTC publicreporting.cftc.govUpdated 2026-07-26 17:27 UTC

Understand institutional positioning before you trade

Our courses cover reading COT, institutional capital flows, and risk management.

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What the COT report is (Commitments of Traders)

The COT report is a weekly publication of the CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission), the US regulator of futures markets. The report breaks down positioning by participant category: commercial (natural hedgers), non-commercial (large speculators) and non-reportable (small traders).

How to read COT sentiment

A trader's attention is usually on the non-commercial column: these are hedge funds, banks and brokers — the smart money. A rising net long = they expect the currency to appreciate; a rising net short = they expect depreciation. The weekly change (WoW) shows the direction smart money took over the last 7 days.

Limitations and pitfalls

COT is not a timing indicator — it measures positioning, not price. Positioning extremes (net long at historical highs) can signal trend exhaustion but may persist for weeks. Do not use COT in isolation: combine it with technical and fundamental analysis.

Frequently asked questions

How often is COT updated?
Weekly. The CFTC publishes the report on Friday at 3:30 PM New York time for positions held on Tuesday of the same week. Our page refreshes its data every 6 hours.
Why isn't retail sentiment (Myfxbook / FXSSI) shown?
That data is proprietary; the providers do not expose a free endpoint for commercial use. COT (smart money) is the free, sufficient alternative for basic education.
Is COT a timing indicator?
No. COT measures positioning accumulated over time. Historical extremes can signal saturation, but price can keep trending for weeks. Use it for context, not for trade execution.
Why is USDX included?
The US dollar index (DXY, listed at ICE Futures U.S.) is the benchmark for net USD positioning. Its changes set the general direction of the dollar against the majors basket.
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