COT: Grain buying accelerates; GBP long jumped ahead of BOE

COT: Grain buying accelerates; GBP long jumped ahead of BOE

Ole Hansen

Head of Commodity Strategy

Summary:  Our weekly Commitment of Traders update highlights future positions and changes made by hedge funds and other speculators across commodities and forex during the week to Tuesday, June 20. A week that saw continued gains across the stock market with yields and the dollar trading softer just before several reversals occurred following Fed Chair Powell’s combatant testimony before a US Congress committee last Wednesday. Prior to these comments which triggered corrections across markets, speculators had increased their dollar short, primarily due to record buying of Sterling, while in commodities flows were mixed with buyers concentrating their interest in crude oil, natural gas, sugar, and not least a continued surging grains market.


Saxo Bank publishes weekly Commitment of Traders reports (COT) covering leveraged fund positions in commodities while in forex we use the broader measure called non-commercial.

What is the Commitments of Traders report?


The COT reports are issued by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the ICE Exchange Europe for Brent crude oil and gas oil. They are released every Friday after the U.S. close with data from the week ending the previous Tuesday. They break down the open interest in futures markets into different groups of users depending on the asset class.

Commodities: Producer/Merchant/Processor/User, Swap dealers, Managed Money and other
Financials: Dealer/Intermediary; Asset Manager/Institutional; Leveraged Funds and other
Forex: A broad breakdown between commercial and non-commercial (speculators)

The main reasons why we focus primarily on the behavior of speculators, such as hedge funds and trend-following CTA's are:

  • They are likely to have tight stops and no underlying exposure that is being hedged
  • This makes them most reactive to changes in fundamental or technical price developments
  • It provides views about major trends but also helps to decipher when a reversal is looming

Do note that this group tends to anticipate, accelerate, and amplify price changes that have been set in motion by fundamentals. Being followers of momentum, this strategy often sees this group of traders buy into strength and sell into weakness, meaning that they are often found holding the biggest long near the peak of a cycle or the biggest short position ahead of a through in the market.

Global Market Quick Take Europe
Saxo Market Call Daily Podcast

Commodity Weekly: Selling pressure returns on policy tightening and growth concerns


This summary highlights futures positions and changes made by hedge funds across commodities and forex during the week to last Tuesday, June 20. A week that saw continued gains across the stock market with yields and the dollar trading softer just before several reversals occurred following Fed Chair Powell’s combatant testimony before a US Congress committee last Wednesday. In it he described a US economy that is still strong, with inflation running too high, and repeated that most officials think interest rates will need to go higher to tame prices.

Prior to these comments which triggered corrections across markets, speculators had increased their dollar short, primarily due to record buying of Sterling, while in commodities flows were mixed with buyers concentrating their interest in crude oil, natural gas, grains, and sugar.

Commodity sector:


In the week to June 20, the Bloomberg Commodity Index climbed 2.5% with gains seen across all sectors except precious metals where profit taking continued after the latest FOMC meeting signaled a further peak rate delay. Gains were concentrated in energy (3%) and not least the grains market (8.3%) after hot and dry weather raised concerns about this season's production levels of key crops.

Speculators, responding to across-sector gains by lifting their combined net long across 24 major commodity futures by one-quarter to 1.14 million contracts, with the bulk of the increase moving into to grains sector after traders were caught woefully unprepared for the recent strong rally. Elsewhere, length was added to crude oil, gas, copper, and sugar.
Crude oil and fuel products: Strength across the energy sector supported fresh buying of crude oil, especially Brent which accounted for 84% of the 19k contracts of net buying to a combined total of 297k contracts, still within the range seen during the past couple of months. During this time, however, positions have increasingly been moved to Brent (+84k) at the expense of WTI (-53.4k). Elsewhere gas oil buying lifted the net to a two-month high.
Gold, silver and copper: Ahead of Fed Chair Powell’s midweek sucker punch which sent precious metal prices lower, gold length had seen a small weekly increase to 94.6k contracts while silver length was cut by 23% to 11.3k. Copper length continued to be added at the fastest three-week pace since December 2019 - on China stimulus and improved technical outlook focus, resulting in the net long jumping 16.3k to 23.3, highest since January.
Grains: Speculators helped drive a 8.3% weekly gain across the grains sector as they continued to adjust positions after being caught unprepared by the sudden surge. Last week it drove the fastest buying pace since September 2020, the result being a jump in the net long across six major grain and oilseed contracts to 151k contracts, still 72% below the February peak. Buying was led by corn (56k to 58k) and wheat (+29k to -84k).
Softs and livestock: Mixed flows in softs with the sugar net-long rising to a four-month high while profit taking helped reduce length in cocoa, coffee, and cotton.
In forex, mixed flows saw the gross dollar short vs nine IMM futures and the Dollar index rise 59% to $9 billion. Record buying of GBP ahead of the Bank of England meeting lifted the net long to a five-year high. Elsewhere, the JPY short reached a 13-month high, the MXN long a three-year high while selling of EUR extended to a fifth week.

Quarterly Outlook

01 /

  • Fixed Income Outlook: Bonds Hit Reset. A New Equilibrium Emerges

    Quarterly Outlook

    Fixed Income Outlook: Bonds Hit Reset. A New Equilibrium Emerges

    Althea Spinozzi

    Head of Fixed Income Strategy

  • Equity Outlook: Will lower rates lift all boats in equities?

    Quarterly Outlook

    Equity Outlook: Will lower rates lift all boats in equities?

    Peter Garnry

    Chief Investment Strategist

    After a period of historically high equity index concentration driven by the 'Magnificent Seven' sto...
  • FX Outlook: USD in limbo amid political and policy jitters

    Quarterly Outlook

    FX Outlook: USD in limbo amid political and policy jitters

    Charu Chanana

    Chief Investment Strategist

    As we enter the final quarter of 2024, currency markets are set for heightened turbulence due to US ...
  • Macro Outlook: The US rate cut cycle has begun

    Quarterly Outlook

    Macro Outlook: The US rate cut cycle has begun

    Peter Garnry

    Chief Investment Strategist

    The Fed started the US rate cut cycle in Q3 and in this macro outlook we will explore how the rate c...
  • Commodity Outlook: Gold and silver continue to shine bright

    Quarterly Outlook

    Commodity Outlook: Gold and silver continue to shine bright

    Ole Hansen

    Head of Commodity Strategy

  • FX: Risk-on currencies to surge against havens

    Quarterly Outlook

    FX: Risk-on currencies to surge against havens

    Charu Chanana

    Chief Investment Strategist

    Explore the outlook for USD, AUD, NZD, and EM carry trades as risk-on currencies are set to outperfo...
  • Equities: Are we blowing bubbles again

    Quarterly Outlook

    Equities: Are we blowing bubbles again

    Peter Garnry

    Chief Investment Strategist

    Explore key trends and opportunities in European equities and electrification theme as market dynami...
  • Macro: Sandcastle economics

    Quarterly Outlook

    Macro: Sandcastle economics

    Peter Garnry

    Chief Investment Strategist

    Explore the "two-lane economy," European equities, energy commodities, and the impact of US fiscal p...
  • Bonds: What to do until inflation stabilises

    Quarterly Outlook

    Bonds: What to do until inflation stabilises

    Althea Spinozzi

    Head of Fixed Income Strategy

    Discover strategies for managing bonds as US and European yields remain rangebound due to uncertain ...
  • Commodities: Energy and grains in focus as metals pause

    Quarterly Outlook

    Commodities: Energy and grains in focus as metals pause

    Ole Hansen

    Head of Commodity Strategy

    Energy and grains to shine as metals pause. Discover key trends and market drivers for commodities i...

Disclaimer

The Saxo Bank Group entities each provide execution-only service and access to Analysis permitting a person to view and/or use content available on or via the website. This content is not intended to and does not change or expand on the execution-only service. Such access and use are at all times subject to (i) The Terms of Use; (ii) Full Disclaimer; (iii) The Risk Warning; (iv) the Rules of Engagement and (v) Notices applying to Saxo News & Research and/or its content in addition (where relevant) to the terms governing the use of hyperlinks on the website of a member of the Saxo Bank Group by which access to Saxo News & Research is gained. Such content is therefore provided as no more than information. In particular no advice is intended to be provided or to be relied on as provided nor endorsed by any Saxo Bank Group entity; nor is it to be construed as solicitation or an incentive provided to subscribe for or sell or purchase any financial instrument. All trading or investments you make must be pursuant to your own unprompted and informed self-directed decision. As such no Saxo Bank Group entity will have or be liable for any losses that you may sustain as a result of any investment decision made in reliance on information which is available on Saxo News & Research or as a result of the use of the Saxo News & Research. Orders given and trades effected are deemed intended to be given or effected for the account of the customer with the Saxo Bank Group entity operating in the jurisdiction in which the customer resides and/or with whom the customer opened and maintains his/her trading account. Saxo News & Research does not contain (and should not be construed as containing) financial, investment, tax or trading advice or advice of any sort offered, recommended or endorsed by Saxo Bank Group and should not be construed as a record of our trading prices, or as an offer, incentive or solicitation for the subscription, sale or purchase in any financial instrument. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, would be considered as a marketing communication under relevant laws.

Please read our disclaimers:
- Notification on Non-Independent Investment Research (https://www.home.saxo/legal/niird/notification)
- Full disclaimer (https://www.home.saxo/en-gb/legal/disclaimer/saxo-disclaimer)

Saxo
40 Bank Street, 26th floor
E14 5DA
London
United Kingdom

Contact Saxo

Select region

United Kingdom
United Kingdom

Trade Responsibly
All trading carries risk. To help you understand the risks involved we have put together a series of Key Information Documents (KIDs) highlighting the risks and rewards related to each product. Read more
Additional Key Information Documents are available in our trading platform.

Saxo is a registered Trading Name of Saxo Capital Markets UK Ltd (‘Saxo’). Saxo is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Firm Reference Number 551422. Registered address: 26th Floor, 40 Bank Street, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DA. Company number 7413871. Registered in England & Wales.

This website, including the information and materials contained in it, are not directed at, or intended for distribution to or use by, any person or entity who is a citizen or resident of or located in the United States, Belgium or any other jurisdiction where such distribution, publication, availability or use would be contrary to applicable law or regulation.

It is important that you understand that with investments, your capital is at risk. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. It is your responsibility to ensure that you make an informed decision about whether or not to invest with us. If you are still unsure if investing is right for you, please seek independent advice. Saxo assumes no liability for any loss sustained from trading in accordance with a recommendation.

Apple, iPad and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Android is a trademark of Google Inc.

©   since 1992