Directly from cftc.gov — the official regulator. Every Friday the CFTC releases the Commitments of Traders report. COTInsight fetches and processes both the Disaggregated and Financial Traders formats, covering 475+ markets across energy, metals, grains, softs, livestock, FX, equity indices, rates, and crypto. No data vendor is involved.
How current is the data?+
The CFTC publishes data as of each Tuesday's close, released on the following Friday afternoon (US Eastern time). COTInsight refreshes automatically on Friday evening and the updated analysis is available within hours of the CFTC release.
What is a z-score alert and why does it matter?+
The z-score measures how extreme speculative net positioning is relative to the past 52 weeks. A z-score above +1.5 (or below −1.5) means speculators are near a 52-week extreme — a level many traders treat as a contrarian signal. Alerts fire at this threshold and are visible across the heatmap and instrument list. Whether extremes actually revert depends on the instrument and context; the historical outcome stats (Ultimate) let you evaluate the actual track record.
What is the COT Index?+
The COT Index (0–100) shows where current net speculative positioning sits within its 3-year range — a percentile rank, not a directional forecast. A reading near 0 means positioning is close to a 3-year low; near 100 means close to a 3-year high. It complements the z-score by providing longer-term context on how stretched positioning is relative to recent history.
What are regime states?+
Each instrument is assigned one of eight regime labels based on z-score level, momentum, and flow direction: Extreme Long, Building Long, Distributing, Flip Zone, Neutral, Accumulating, Building Short, or Extreme Short. Regime detection captures both the magnitude and the direction of positioning change, not just the absolute level.
What is a divergence signal?+
Divergence fires when price and speculative positioning move in opposite directions over a 12-week window — for example, price rising while speculative exposure is being reduced (Bearish Divergence), or price falling while specs accumulate (Bullish Divergence). It is one of nine analytical outputs computed per instrument, alongside z-score, COT Index, momentum, regime, OI trend, small-spec extreme, participant breakdown, and historical outcomes.
What do historical outcome stats show? ULTIMATE+
Ultimate subscribers see forward-return statistics broken down by z-score bucket. For each bucket (e.g. z ≥ 1.5), the table shows what percentage of past occurrences resulted in price gains or losses at the 4-week, 8-week, and 12-week horizons — computed from actual historical data so you can judge signal reliability yourself rather than take it on faith.
Plans & Billing
Do I need a card for the free trial?+
No. Your 7-day trial gives full Pro-level access — all 475+ instruments, 10-year history, every signal, and CSV export — with no payment information required at signup. PDF reports, AI commentary, outcome stats, and API access are Ultimate features not included in the trial. You'll only be asked for billing details if you decide to subscribe.
What happens when the trial expires?+
Access ends. There is no degraded free tier — COTInsight requires an active subscription after the trial. Subscribe to Pro or Ultimate at any time to restore access.
Can I upgrade from Pro to Ultimate?+
Yes. Open Account → Upgrade and the change happens instantly. You pay only the proportional difference for the time remaining on your current billing period — nothing more. Your next renewal date and billing cycle do not change.
Can I downgrade from Ultimate to Pro?+
Yes. Downgrade through the billing portal. You keep Ultimate access until the end of your current paid period, then renew at the Pro rate. Downgrades do not entitle you to any partial refund for unused time.
What does annual billing mean exactly?+
You pay for 10 months up front and get 12 months of access — equivalent to 2 months free. Pro annual is $190/yr (~$16/mo); Ultimate annual is $290/yr (~$24/mo). The full amount is charged once at signup and again at each annual renewal.
Can I cancel? Do you offer refunds?+
Cancel from the billing portal at any time — no hoops, no waiting. Access continues until the end of your current paid period. We do not offer partial refunds on active subscription periods.
Exports & API
What can I export?+
Pro and above: CSV export of all current weekly results including every signal field. Ultimate additionally unlocks: PDF briefing reports, full 10-year weekly history archive (ZIP), and REST API access for programmatic integration.
How do I use the REST API? ULTIMATE+
Your personal API key and a full integration guide — including curl and Python examples — are available inside the app under Account → API Key once you subscribe to Ultimate. The key is permanent and unique to your account.
Other
Is this investment advice?+
No. COTInsight is an informational data tool only. The signals and statistics are derived from public CFTC data and do not constitute investment advice, trading recommendations, or financial guidance of any kind. Read the Risk Disclaimer before trading.
How many markets does COTInsight cover?+
475+ instruments across 9 categories: Energy, Metals, Grains, Softs, Livestock, FX, Equity Indices, Rates, and Crypto. Coverage spans all major CFTC-reported futures plus LME base metals.
Does COTInsight cover LME metals?+
Yes. LME positioning data for Aluminium, Copper, Zinc, Nickel, Lead, Tin, and Cobalt is included in the Metals category alongside COMEX/NYMEX precious and base metals.