VIX Non-Commercial Speculator Positions:
Large volatility speculators pulled back on their bearish net positions in the VIX futures markets for the first time in three weeks, 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 -120,432 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday September 11th. This was a weekly boost of 6,651 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -127,083 net contracts.
The speculative position had seen a rise in bearish bets over the previous two weeks and for eight out of the previous nine weeks before this week’s slight rebound. The overall standing remains very bearish and above the -100,000 net contract level for a seventh straight week.
VIX Commercial Positions:
The commercial traders position, hedgers or traders engaged in buying and selling for business purposes, totaled a net position of 126,297 contracts on the week. This was a weekly decrease of -2,864 contracts from the total net of 129,161 contracts reported the previous week.
VIX Futures:
Over the same weekly reporting time-frame, from Tuesday to Tuesday, the VIX Futures (Front Month) closed at approximately $15.12 which was an advance of $0.90 from the previous close of $14.22, according to unofficial market data.