What is CFTC Data? Why Must We Watch It?The Commitments of Traders (COT) report, released weekly by the CFTC (U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission), serves as one of the key references for global futures market fund flows. Its greatest value lies in breaking down market participants, allowing us to see "who is buying and who is selling."CFTC categorizes market positions primarily into three groups:Non-Commercial Positions: Mainly speculative funds such as hedge funds and CTAs, representing the most sensitive and directional forces in the market.Commercial Positions: Industry clients using them for hedging, with weaker directionality.Non-Reportable Positions: Small funds, with minimal impact.Among these, non-commercial positions are the core focus. The reason is simple: these funds aim

I. CFTC Positioning Data: Understanding the “Language of Smart Money”Many people focus only on prices, but what truly drives prices is where the money is positioned. The Commitments of Traders (COT) report released by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) translates this “language of money” into indicators that ordinary investors can understand. The “soul” of this report lies in two dimensions: who is holding positions, and whether they are long or short.CFTC positioning data classifies participants into three major categories: commercial positions (hedgers), non-commercial positions (speculators/funds), and non-reportable positions (retail traders). Among these, the most critical are non-commercial positions—funds, hedge funds, and large institutions whose objective is prof

Today, gold dropped all the way from $4,500 per ounce to $4,102, with a maximum decline of as much as 8.8%. Market sentiment has fallen into extreme pessimism. Considering the previous three trading days, when gold declined by 3.75%, 3.53%, and 3.26% respectively, today’s sharp drop is even more alarming. After consecutive declines, gold has completely erased its 30% gain for the year. At this moment of panic, I chose to buy the dip. I bought some $Gold Trust Ishares(IAU)$ at $78. Next, let’s talk about the logic behind my decision. First, it is necessary to understand the reasons behind this sharp decline in gold. According to traditional thinking, gold is a safe-haven asset, and regional conflicts should benefit gold prices. On the first trading

Hello everyone. Under normal circumstances, with a war still going on, gold should be benefiting from its safe-haven appeal, so why has the price collapsed instead? What does this selloff tell us about trading gold and equity indices, and are there similar periods in history that we can use as reference points? Today, Mr. Gan will go through all of this in the livestream. Below are some notes I put together. The Gulf states have fallen into a strange trap: oil prices are rising, but their income is falling because they cannot sell enough crude. Why? Because of the Strait blockade.  $WTI原油主连 2605(CLmain)$ $美国原油ETF(USO)$ $小原油主连 2605(QMmain)$

Gold should not be seen as a standalone asset. On its own, it has no intrinsic value—and naysayers have been banging on this point for years, saying it doesn’t produce cashflow and therefore can’t be valued. Gold’s value is driven by a myriad of factors. The earliest is that it’s perceived as a store of value—and that perception has lasted until today. In other words, gold has value as long as society believes it has value. Otherwise, we could have used anything. Here’s what matters more: gold’s value is relative to alternative stores of value. And in today’s context, the US Dollar is the single most important currency—a store of value and a medium of exchange. That’s why gold prices tend to have an inverse relationship with the USD. If the USD weakens, gold rises. And vice versa. To me, t

First, let's take a step back: why did precious metals suddenly plunge? most people in the market see three main explanations for the sharp drop in gold and silver: Logic 1: Global central banks have turned more hawkish, and higher interest rates effectively raise the cost of holding precious metals. Logic 2: The Middle East conflict has created an oil shortage, and energy has replaced precious metals as the “hard currency” of choice. Logic 3: Gold and silver were heavily crowded trades, and profittaking on stretched long positions has triggered a selling spiral. But I’m not really convinced by any of the three explanations above I broke these three arguments down in detail and leaned more toward a different interpretation: gold and silver are being sold as assets to raise cash, wh

The gold market is currently navigating a period of high intensity, where technical "overbought" signals are clashing with powerful geopolitical and structural drivers. The State of the Bull Run Despite the recent steep pullbacks, the consensus among major institutions (J.P. Morgan, UBS, Goldman Sachs) is that the secular bull market remains intact. The current sell-off is largely viewed as a "healthy consolidation" following the parabolic move earlier this year. Record Highs: Most analysts expect gold to notch fresh record highs later in 2026. Targets range from $5,000/oz (J.P. Morgan/HSBC) to as high as $6,300/oz (UBS/Bank of America) by year-end. The Iran Factor: The conflict in Iran is the primary driver of current volatility. While "safe-haven" demand initially spiked prices to nearly

If you want to trade futures, then CFTC data is something you really shouldn’t ignore. The CFTC is the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which you can think of as the regulator of the U.S. futures market. Every week, it publishes large-trader positioning data that tells you which side the big money is on.​ So today, let’s go through the latest set of CFTC data.​ Before we begin, let me briefly explain what CFTC data actually is. The CFTC report tracks positions in futures contracts, and these are divided into reportable positions and non-reportable positions. Reportable positions are further split into commercial and non-commercial positions. You can think of commercial positions as those held by industrial capital, such as mines, smelters, manufacturers, and other business entiti

Remember at the beginning of the year, numerous reports projected that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates four times. However, following the surge in oil prices, the market has swung from one extreme to another. Today, hardly anyone dares to anticipate any rate cuts this year. In fact, working backward from the latest U.S. Treasury yield data, the market has even begun to price in potential rate hikes starting in October. This dramatic shift—going from extreme euphoria to sheer panic in just two to three weeks—clearly demonstrates that market trends are currently driven by future sentiment and expectations rather than genuine, medium-to-long-term fundamental changes. Investors must deeply understand this reality. Predictably, if the strait blockade eventually concludes and rate c

What caused the gold crash? The chain reaction currently driving gold is: War → Oil up → Inflation risk → Rate cuts delayed → Bond yields & USD up → Gold down Recent reports confirm gold fell sharply because rising oil prices increased inflation fears and reduced expectations for interest-rate cuts, while a stronger USD and higher bond yields made gold less attractive.  There is also another important factor: Liquidity selling. During market stress, investors sometimes sell gold to cover losses elsewhere, so gold can fall even during geopolitical crises.  So this crash is macro-driven, not gold fundamentals collapsing. --- Is this a regime change or just a correction? Important perspective: Gold peaked ~ $5,600 Recently dropped to around $4,100–4,300 That is about a 25% corre

Global financial markets have recently grown increasingly complex, and it is evident that market capital is currently undergoing a drastic risk repricing. Against this backdrop, both commodities and equity markets are exhibiting signs of exhaustion, struggling to sustain their recent trajectories. Crude oil may be facing fading upward momentum, while US equities—battered by capital outflows and suppressed by rising yields—appear vulnerable to further weakness at any moment.​ Short Bets Intensify on US Equities Institutional trading desk data reveals that the selling pressure on US equities is not to be underestimated. Goldman Sachs' Prime Book data flashes a distinctively negative signal: US equities have faced sell-offs for the fourth consecutive week. More alarmingly, hedge funds are not

Gold prices saw a sharp decline yesterday, dropping about 3.7%, followed by another 2% decline today. Within just two days, prices broke below the $5,000 and $4,900 levels, falling toward $4,800 and even briefly dipping under $4,700. From a one-day performance perspective, gold-related ETFs declined broadly. Physical gold ETFs saw $SPDR Gold ETF(GLD)$ fall 3.16%, $Gold Trust Ishares(IAU)$ drop 3.14%, and $Spdr Gold Minishares Trust(GLDM)$ decline 3.18%. Gold mining ETFs experienced steeper losses, with $VanEck Gold Miners ETF(GDX)$ down 6.23%, $VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF(GDXJ)$

The Red Screen of 2026: Why Gold & Silver are Diving Together  🌟🌟🌟As of Friday, 20 March 2026, the commodities market is in a high velocity liquidation flush.  If you are staring at your screen wondering why Gold and Silver are diving despite the Iran war, look no further than the high stakes standoff at the US Federal Reserve. The "Why": The Captain Who Refuses To Leave the Bridge  The Powell Standoff:  The Cause  The market is recoiling because Jerome Powell has effectively declared on Wednesday 18 March 2026 that he is not going anywhere.  He vowed to serve as "Chair Pro Tem" if his term expires on May 15 before a successor is confirmed. The Power Play  Even more disruptive, Powell stated that he would remain on the Board of Governors until 2028 wh