VIX Non-Commercial Speculator Positions:
Large volatility speculators cut back on their bearish net positions in the VIX 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 VIX futures, traded by large speculators and hedge funds, totaled a net position of -36,189 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday June 5th. This was a weekly lift of 8,191 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -44,380 net contracts.
Speculative positions rose to a record high level on April 10th and then saw steadily decreasing positions and a fall into bearish territory on May 15th. The VIX positions have now been in bearish level for four consecutive weeks while this week’s bets stopped a seven-week decline in VIX bets.
VIX Commercial Positions:
The commercial traders position, hedgers or traders engaged in buying and selling for business purposes, totaled a net position of 40,538 contracts on the week. This was a weekly shortfall of -2,403 contracts from the total net of 42,941 contracts reported the previous week.
VIX:
Over the same weekly reporting time-frame, from Tuesday to Tuesday, the VIX, which tracks the volatility of the S&P 500, closed at approximately $12.40 which was a fall of $-4.62 from the previous close of $17.02, according to unofficial market data.