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

IVV Aug 05, 2026 Negative

The S&P 500 just hit a new high. ‘Big Short' investor Michael Burry thinks it could bring a 1987-style fall.

The famed investor says watch out after that S&P 500 surge on Tuesday. He's not budging from some bearish tech views.

BRK-A Jul 30, 2026 Neutral

4 Dow Jones Industrial Giants Make Up 50% of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio

If any investor has stood the test of time, it's Warren Buffett, and with good reason.

BRK-A Jul 26, 2026 Neutral

Warren Buffett Built a $397 Billion War Chest. Berkshire Can Buy Almost Every S&P 500 Company

The U.S.

IVV Jul 21, 2026 Positive

History Says Investors Should Listen to Warren Buffett: The S&P 500 Is on the Verge of Doing Something for the First Time in 155 Years as Investors Buy "Nothing But Hope."

The S&P 500 Shiller CAPE ratio is on the verge of reaching its highest reading in 155 years. At its current level, the CAPE ratio suggests valuations are overextended.

GOOG Jul 20, 2026 Neutral

Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller Dumped Google Parent Alphabet in Favor of the Hottest Stock in the Benchmark S&P 500

Quarterly-filed Form 13Fs allow investors to track which stocks Wall Street's smartest money managers have been buying and selling. Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller bid adieu to Alphabet stock in ...

BRK-A Jul 11, 2026 Negative

Berkshire Hathaway gains ground, but still trails the S&P 500 as '26 enters second half

With 2026 a bit more than half over, Berkshire Hathaway's B shares are down 1.8% year-to-date and 12.4 percentage points behind the S&P 500's 10.7% gain.

BLK Jul 07, 2026 Neutral

BlackRock Expands Investor Access to Innovative Companies with iShares Nasdaq 100 ETF

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BlackRock today announced plans to launch the iShares Nasdaq 100 ETF (Nasdaq:IQQ), designed to provide investors with cost-efficient access to the companies driving innov...

KO Jun 05, 2026 Positive

This Warren Buffett Stock Is Beating the S&P 500 in 2026

Legendary dividend stock Coca-Cola has outperformed the S&P 500 in 2026. Its business is remarkably consistent, which drives the dividend and the stock higher over the long term.

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.