COT Reports / Indices

Indices
The COT Report for Indices shows the positioning of major market participants (banks, funds, producers). Extreme positioning can indicate potential market trend reversals.

Understand how big banks, hedge funds, and commercials are positioning themselves in Indices. Analyze institutional money flows to identify historical extremes and gain a deeper understanding of underlying market dynamics.

How to Read Index Data

Standard vs. E-Mini vs. Micro: Futures contracts come in different sizes to accommodate different traders. The Standard contract is often too expensive, so exchanges introduced E-Mini (a fraction of the standard size) and later Micro E-Mini (1/10th of the E-Mini) contracts. E-Mini contracts typically offer the most reliable "Smart Money" signals because they have the highest liquidity among major institutional investors.

Identifying Extremes: "Commercials" (institutions hedging risk) are often permanently net-short to protect against market crashes. Conversely, "Non-Commercials" (speculative funds) are usually net-long. The key is to watch for extreme deviations from historical averages to spot overextended, "overbought" or "oversold" markets.

CBOE VIX (VX)

VX

Tracks the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), measuring stock market expectations of volatility based on S&P 500 options (the 'fear gauge').

Dow Indu 30 E-Mini (YM)

YM

Tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average, representing 30 prominent, blue-chip US companies. This is an 'E-Mini' contract (a fraction of the standard contract size).

Nasdaq 100 E-Mini (NQ)

NQ

Tracks the Nasdaq-100, composed of the 100 largest non-financial (heavily tech) companies. This is an 'E-Mini' contract (a fraction of the standard contract size).

Nasdaq 100 Micro E-Mini (MNQ)

MNQ

Tracks the Nasdaq-100, composed of the 100 largest non-financial (heavily tech) companies. This is a 'Micro' contract (1/10th the size of an E-Mini), making it highly accessible.

Russell 2000 E-Mini (QR)

QR

Tracks the Russell 2000, measuring the performance of small-cap US companies (a barometer for the domestic economy). This is an 'E-Mini' contract (a fraction of the standard contract size).

S&P 500 E-Mini (ES)

ES

Tracks the S&P 500, considered the best overall gauge of the 500 largest US publicly traded companies. This is an 'E-Mini' contract (a fraction of the standard contract size).

S&P 500 Micro E-Mini (MES)

MES

Tracks the S&P 500, considered the best overall gauge of the 500 largest US publicly traded companies. This is a 'Micro' contract (1/10th the size of an E-Mini), making it highly accessible.

S&P Midcap E-Mini (EW)

EW

Tracks the S&P MidCap 400, serving as a gauge for mid-sized US companies. This is an 'E-Mini' contract (a fraction of the standard contract size).

Latest Stock Market News

GTN May 17, 2026 Positive

Billionaire Bill Miller Beat the S&P 500 for 15 Consecutive Years. Here Are His Fund's Top 3 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks Now.

Lincoln National is Miller Value Partners' second-largest holding and offers a yield of 5.3%. Gray Media has taken investors on a roller coaster ride in 2026, but its dividend has been steady (and ...

GTN May 17, 2026 Positive

Billionaire Bill Miller Beat the S&P 500 for 15 Consecutive Years. Here Are His Fund's Top 3 Ultra-High-Yield Dividend Stocks Now.

Lincoln National is Miller Value Partners' second-largest holding and offers a yield of 5.3%. Gray Media has taken investors on a roller coaster ride in 2026, but its dividend has been steady (and ...

SPY May 13, 2026 Negative

Howard Marks Warned Me About S&P 500 Valuations: I Ignored Him and My Portfolio Doubled

On a recent episode of My First Million, Sam Parr told his co-host Shaan Puri that he keeps 80% of his portfolio in the S&P 500, which would not be remarkable except for who told him not to.

GLD Apr 17, 2026 Positive

Meet the Glorious Gold ETF Crushing the S&P 500, the Nasdaq-100, and the Dow Jones in 2026

Gold delivered a blistering return of 64% last year, and it's up a further 11% in the early stages of 2026. Investors are piling into the yellow metal to hedge against a rising money supply, which ...

CENX Apr 17, 2026 Positive

The Tariff Winner Nobody Expected: Why Century Aluminum Is Crushing the S&P 500

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ: CENX) has delivered one of the most remarkable runs in the metals space over the past year.

IVV Mar 26, 2026 Negative

Stock Market Today: Dow Jones, S&P 500 Futures Fall As Trump Prepares To 'Unleash Hell' On Iran—Pony AI, Worthington Steel, Olaplex Holdings In Focus

U.S. stock futures fell on Thursday following Wednesday's advances. Futures of the major benchmark indices were lower.

ARKK Feb 24, 2026 Positive

ARK Unplugged: How Cathie Wood Crushed the S&P 500 in 2025

ARK Invest's 2025 performance data has been finalized, offering a comprehensive look back at the stocks Cathie Wood identified as underappreciated going into the previous year.

IVV Feb 17, 2026 Negative

OpenAI, SpaceX and other IPOs could break the S&P 500, Jeremy Grantham says

Jeremy Grantham has a new and provocative argument for why the U.S. stock market will produce mediocre returns this year.

CPER Feb 02, 2026 Neutral

Copper, Russell 2000, DXY and USD/MXN Forecast – Wide Range of Markets Moving Today

There are plenty of markets on the precipice of moving early on Monday, and with this, I am looking at a wide array of assets.

BLK Jan 17, 2026 Positive

S&P 500 Financial Titan BlackRock Leads Five Stocks To Watch

S&P 500 components BlackRock and GE Aerospace are among the five stocks to watch in next week's shortened stock market action.

BRK-A Jan 09, 2026 Positive

If This Warren Buffett Stock Plunged by 99% Today, It Would Still Have Outperformed the S&P 500 Since 1965

Warren Buffett steered the Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate to market-beating returns for 60 years. If Berkshire stock plunged by 99% today, investors who bought it in 1965 would still have more mon...

ARKQ Jan 05, 2026 Positive

Cathie Wood Beats S&P 500 in 2025 — This ARK ETF Delivered The Knockout With A 50% Gain

Ark Invest had a 2025 to remember, with ETFs from the Cathie Wood-led financial company outpacing the S&P 500's full-year gains. Here's a look at the gains for the six main Ark Invest ETFs and how ...

IGM Jan 02, 2026 Neutral

Prediction: This Unstoppable BlackRock ETF Will Beat the S&P 500 Again in 2026

Investors with little or no exposure to artificial intelligence (AI) stocks like Nvidia and Palantir probably underperformed the S&P 500 in 2025. AI will likely remain a key driver of stock market ...

BRK-A Dec 31, 2025 Negative

Warren Buffett Trails S&P 500 In Final Year As Berkshire CEO — Here's His 25-Year Scorecard

Legendary investor Warren Buffett is officially out as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE: BRK)(NYSE: BRK), ending a multi-decade run leading the conglomerate. After years of outperforming the...

BRK-A Dec 06, 2025 Negative

Berkshire Hathaway is on track to lag behind the S&P 500 in Buffett's last year as CEO

With less than a month to go, Berkshire Hathaway's B shares are behind the S&P in their 2025 race. With dividends included, the S&P's lead is even bigger.

GLD Dec 02, 2025 Positive

Billionaire Ken Griffin Buys an Index Fund That's Crushing Bitcoin, Nvidia, and the S&P 500 in 2025

Billionaire Ken Griffin runs Citadel Advisors, the most successful hedge funds in history as measured by net gains since inception. In the third quarter, Griffin started a position in the SPDR Gold...

BRK-A Nov 23, 2025 Positive

History Says the S&P 500 Will Make a Big Move in 2026. Here's How Warren Buffett Is Preparing.

Warren Buffett is building up his cash position. Investors may be wise to follow Buffett's lead.

V Nov 22, 2025 Positive

Billionaire Warren Buffett Owns 6 Dow Jones Stocks. Here's My Top Buy for 2026.

Many of Berkshire's top holdings are industry-leading companies that deliver consistent results. Visa has a predictable runway for future growth.

BRK-A Nov 11, 2025 Positive

Berkshire Hathaway: Better Than The S&P 500 In Our View

Berkshire Hathaway stands as one of the world's largest conglomerates, boasting a valuation exceeding $1 trillion. Despite underperforming the broader market recently, BRK maintains a robust cash p...

BRK-A Oct 27, 2025 Positive

Warren Buffett Badly Beaten by the S&P 500

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B) stock is up less than 9% this year, while the S&P 500 has seen a gain of just under 15%.

BRK-A Oct 25, 2025 Negative

Warren Buffett Watch: Berkshire is lagging the S&P 500 by the largest gap so far this year

Shares of Warren Buffett's company are underperforming the benchmark index by almost 7%

IVV Oct 22, 2025 Positive

Warren Buffett Called This Asset "Unproductive," But Now It's Crushing the S&P 500, the Nasdaq, and even Nvidia

Warren Buffett has served as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway since 1965, where he oversees several fully owned subsidiaries and a $304 billion portfolio of stocks. Buffett has shunned gold during his...

IVV Oct 17, 2025 Positive

Warren Buffett Says Everyday Investors Should Go All-In on the S&P 500 for Retirement. Here's Another Option to Look At.

Warren Buffett has said repeatedly that typical investors can do well with an S&P 500 index fund, Although that's a good way to diversify, a total stock market fund may be a more suitable option fo...

IVV Oct 08, 2025 Positive

Steven Cohen Doubles The S&P 500 — And His Next Bet's All Gut

Steven Cohen 's Point72 Asset Management just pulled off what most fund managers only dream of — doubling the S&P 500's three-year return — and he's still not easing up. The billionaire investor's ...