CFTC to publish the Commitments of Traders report twice a week

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will publish its Commitments of Traders (COT) report twice a week instead of once, Chairman Michael S. Selig announced on 27 October 2026. The change is due to take effect by the end of 2026.

What changes

The COT report gives market participants information about trading positions and activity. Under the new schedule, positions as of Monday will be published on Wednesday, and positions as of Wednesday will be published on Friday. Both reports will come out at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

The CFTC says the new schedule cuts the report’s delay from three days to two. It follows a Request for Comment the Commission ran earlier, and the agency says it reflects its aim of giving market participants more timely information on positions and trading, particularly in agricultural markets.

The CFTC’s Division of Data is leading the work, which the agency says will rely on modernisation and automation while keeping the data accurate.

“COT Reports have been an important source of transparency for decades,” Selig said, adding that the twice-weekly schedule followed feedback from the agricultural community.

What it means for traders

Traders who follow positioning data will get two snapshots a week instead of one, and each will be a day fresher than today’s report. Anyone who builds charts, screens or models on the weekly data will need to allow for the second release day and the different reference dates. Our guide to how futures contracts work explains the basics of the contracts behind the data.

What happens next

The release does not give a start date beyond “by the end of 2026”. Until the new schedule begins, the report continues to be published once a week.