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Ether COT Report: CME Ether Futures Positioning

Weekly positioning in CME Ether futures (50 ETH per contract) by trader type, from the CFTC's Commitments of Traders report. Net = long minus short contracts; positions are as of Tuesday and published on Friday.

In the week to Tuesday 22 September 2026, leveraged funds were net short 10,617 CME Ether futures contracts (≈ 530,850 ETH), against net short 7,722 a week earlier. Asset managers were net short 1,492 (≈ 74,600 ETH) and dealers net long 12,372. Open interest was 29,985 contracts (≈ 1,499,250 ETH), up 1,572 on the week. Leveraged funds' net short position is the largest since 5 May 2026 (20 reports).

Positions as of 22 Sep 2026Source: CFTC Traders in Financial FuturesUpdated weekly (Fridays)

Leveraged fundsnet
-10,617 contracts
net short ≈ 530,850 ETHweek -2,895
Asset managersnet
-1,492 contracts
net short ≈ 74,600 ETHweek +428
Dealersnet
+12,372 contracts
net long ≈ 618,600 ETHweek +1,801
Open interest
29,985 contracts
≈ 1,499,250 ETHweek +1,572

Net positions by trader type

Apr 2021 – Sep 2026 · contracts, weekly
  • Leveraged funds
  • Asset managers
  • Dealers
Weekly net long (above zero) or net short (below zero) positions in CME Ether futures for leveraged funds, asset managers and dealers. -30,000 -20,000 -10,000 0 +10,000 +20,000 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Positioning in the week to 22 Sep 2026

CME Ether futures · 50 ETH per contract
Trader type Long Short Net Net change % of OI long / short Net ≈ ETH
Leveraged funds
hedge funds, CTAs and other money managers
2,603 13,220 -10,617 -2,895 8.7% / 44.1% net short 530,850 ETH
Asset managers
pension funds, endowments, insurers and institutional fund managers
1,837 3,329 -1,492 +428 6.1% / 11.1% net short 74,600 ETH
Dealers
banks and other sell-side intermediaries
21,765 9,393 +12,372 +1,801 72.6% / 31.3% net long 618,600 ETH
Other reportables
large traders that fit none of the groups above
179 1,198 -1,019 +104 0.6% / 4.0% net short 50,950 ETH
Small traders
positions below the CFTC's reporting level
1,215 459 +756 +562 4.1% / 1.5% net long 37,800 ETH

Open interest 29,985 contracts (≈ 1,499,250 ETH); 91 traders held positions above the CFTC reporting level. Every open contract has one long and one short, so the net positions of all five groups add up to zero.

Weekly history

last 26 reports · net contracts and change on the week
Report date Open interest OI change Leveraged funds Change Asset managers Change Dealers Change
29,985 +1,572 -10,617 -2,895 -1,492 +428 +12,372 +1,801
28,413 +1,849 -7,722 -436 -1,920 -267 +10,571 +1,168
26,564 +1,945 -7,286 -1,961 -1,653 -219 +9,403 +2,045
24,619 -2,249 -5,325 +3,060 -1,434 +769 +7,358 -3,872
26,868 +4,184 -8,385 -3,990 -2,203 +873 +11,230 +3,702
22,684 +714 -4,395 -397 -3,076 +43 +7,528 +126
21,970 +1,539 -3,998 -793 -3,119 +500 +7,402 +406
20,431 -3,422 -3,205 +2,191 -3,619 -147 +6,996 -2,042
23,853 +186 -5,396 +1,657 -3,472 -1,052 +9,038 -125
23,667 +1,128 -7,053 +908 -2,420 -1,014 +9,163 -12
22,539 +793 -7,961 -652 -1,406 +703 +9,175 -276
21,746 +271 -7,309 -2,618 -2,109 +929 +9,451 +1,314
21,475 -4,532 -4,691 +286 -3,038 -22 +8,137 -118
26,007 -103 -4,977 +1,775 -3,016 -702 +8,255 -850
26,110 +972 -6,752 -2,101 -2,314 +928 +9,105 +1,004
25,138 -378 -4,651 -330 -3,242 +61 +8,101 -632
25,516 -5,340 -4,321 +3,183 -3,303 -1,711 +8,733 -1,600
30,856 -2,206 -7,504 +831 -1,592 -92 +10,333 +315
33,062 +1,313 -8,335 +2,069 -1,500 -964 +10,018 +1,702
31,749 +1,341 -10,404 +3,189 -536 -1,896 +8,316 -3,461
30,408 +2,631 -13,593 -1,952 +1,360 +915 +11,777 +485
27,777 -3,228 -11,641 -958 +445 +494 +11,292 +852
31,005 -3,349 -10,683 +1,266 -49 -576 +10,440 -412
34,354 +5,706 -11,949 -1,922 +527 +616 +10,852 +721
28,648 +185 -10,027 +284 -89 +3 +10,131 -283
28,463 -7,383 -10,311 +691 -92 -220 +10,414 -741

How to read it. Net = long minus short contracts; positive is net long, negative net short. Leveraged funds on CME are often short futures against long spot or ETF holdings (the basis trade), so their net short tracks the futures premium as much as a view on price. Dates are the Tuesday the positions were taken; the CFTC publishes them the following Friday. Numbers cover the standard CME Ether futures contract only (not CME Micro contracts). Source: CFTC Commitments of Traders, Traders in Financial Futures, futures only. Public domain.

Ether COT report FAQ

What is the COT report?

The Commitments of Traders (COT) report is published every week by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). It breaks down the open interest of each US futures market by type of trader. For financial futures such as CME Bitcoin and Ether futures, the Traders in Financial Futures (TFF) version splits large traders into dealers, asset managers, leveraged funds and other reportables; everyone below the reporting level is counted as non-reportable.

When is the COT report released?

Every Friday at 3:30 pm US Eastern time, with positions as of the Tuesday of that week. After US federal holidays it comes out a day or more later. This page checks for the new report shortly after each release.

Who are leveraged funds and asset managers?

Leveraged funds are hedge funds, commodity trading advisors (CTAs) and other money managers. In crypto futures many of them run the basis trade: long spot bitcoin or ETF shares and short CME futures to earn the premium, so a large net short is not simply a bearish bet. Asset managers are pension funds, endowments, insurers and institutional fund managers, usually net long. Dealers are banks and other intermediaries.

Does this include Binance or other crypto exchanges?

No. The CFTC only reports US-regulated futures. This page covers the standard CME Ether futures contract (5 BTC for Bitcoin, 50 ETH for Ether); CME Micro contracts are reported separately and are not included. Offshore perpetual futures are on the open interest and long/short ratio pages.

Where does the data come from, and can I reuse it?

From the CFTC's own public reporting API (Traders in Financial Futures, futures only). CFTC reports are works of the US government and are in the public domain, so you can cite and reuse the numbers on this page freely. Nothing here is financial advice.