Bitcoin Non-Commercial Speculator Positions:
Large cryptocurrency speculators lowered their net positions in the Bitcoin futures markets this week, according to the latest Commitment of Traders (COT) data released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday.
The non-commercial futures contracts of Bitcoin futures, traded by large speculators and hedge funds, totaled a net position of -1,318 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday September 18th. This was a weekly decline of -79 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,239 net contracts.
Speculative bearish positions rose this week for the first time in three weeks and for just the second time out of the past six weeks.
Meanwhile, the small traders position, which is on the opposite side of this market than the speculators, increased their existing bullish positions this week by an equally offsetting 79 contracts to a current bullish level of 1,318 net contracts.
Bitcoin Futures COT Data is Speculators vs Small Traders
The Bitcoin futures data is in its fortieth week since the start of the cryptocurrency futures data releases on December 19th 2017. The data includes trader classifications of only speculators and small traders and without any commercial traders (typically business hedgers or producers of a commodity).
Speculators started off bearish and have continued to be on the bearish side of this market since the beginning of the bitcoin data releases while the small traders have remained on the bullish side of this cryptocurrency market.
Bitcoin Futures:
Over the same weekly reporting time-frame, from Tuesday to Tuesday, the Bitcoin Futures (Front Month) closed at approximately $6275 which was a rise of $45 from the previous close of $6230, according to unofficial market data.