WatchTower

Indices

Dow Jones COT positioning

Speculators are net long dow jones, at the 85th percentile of the last three years — the most net-long in 10 months.

Net speculative position +14,217 contracts
Three year percentile 85th at an extreme
Last more extreme 10 months ago
One contract the E-mini, $5 times the index
Net speculative position, 30 September 2025 to 22 September 2026. Scaled to this market's own range over the period, from -7,189 to +17,848 contracts. The line marks zero, where the book flips between net long and net short.

Reading as of 22 September 2026. The CFTC publishes weekly with a three day lag, so this describes the previous Tuesday. The terminal carries the full three year history and the week on week change.

Reading it

What this book is, and how it behaves.

The smallest of the US index books, and the least used for hedging, so it reads closer to a pure directional view than the S&P one does.

Positioning at an extreme is a description of where the crowd sits, not a forecast. A crowded book can stay crowded for months and get more crowded on the way. What it does tell you is who is already in the trade, which is what decides how violently a market reacts when the news goes the other way.

Dow Jones positioning, answered.

Are speculators net long or net short dow jones?

Speculators are net long dow jones, at the 85th percentile of the last three years — the most net-long in 10 months. The net position is +14,217 contracts as of 22 September 2026.

What does one Dow Jones contract represent?

One contract is the E-mini, $5 times the index. The smallest of the US index books, and the least used for hedging, so it reads closer to a pure directional view than the S&P one does.

What is the COT report?

The Commitment of Traders report is published weekly by the CFTC. It breaks open interest in US futures markets down by category of trader. The figure here is the non-commercial, or speculative, net position: long contracts minus short contracts. It is reported with a three day lag, so the newest reading describes the previous Tuesday.

Does extreme positioning mean the price will reverse?

No. Positioning describes where the crowd sits, not what happens next. Crowded books can stay crowded for months and get more crowded on the way. It is a measure of who is already in a trade, which matters for how a market reacts to news, and it is not a timing signal.