VIX Speculators Raise Bearish Bets To 27-Week High

VIX Non-Commercial Speculator Positions:

Large volatility speculators added to their bearish net positions in the VIX futures markets again this week, according to the latest Commitment of Traders (COT) data released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday.

VIX COT Futures Large Trader Positions

The non-commercial futures contracts of VIX futures, traded by large speculators and hedge funds, totaled a net position of -98,205 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday August 25th. This was a weekly change of -1,221 net contracts from the previous week which had a total of -96,984 net contracts.

The week’s net position was the result of the gross bullish position (longs) advancing by just 152 contracts (to a weekly total of 48,840 contracts) while the gross bearish position (shorts) rose by 1,373 contracts for the week (to a total of 147,045 contracts).

VIX speculators edged bearish bets higher this week and pushed their bearish positions higher for the third straight week. The current standing is now at the most bearish level since February 18th when the net position totaled -130,229 contracts, a span of twenty-seven weeks. This marks the third straight week that the bearish position has been above -90,000 contracts.

VIX Commercial Positions:

The commercial traders’ position, hedgers or traders engaged in buying and selling for business purposes, totaled a net position of 103,586 contracts on the week. This was a weekly gain of 2,529 contracts from the total net of 101,057 contracts reported the previous week.

VIX COT Futures Large Trader Positions

VIX Futures:

Over the same weekly reporting time-frame, from Tuesday to Tuesday, the VIX Futures (Front Month) closed at approximately $25.35 which was a gain of $3.40 from the previous close of $21.95, according to unofficial market data.