VIX Non-Commercial Speculator Positions:
Large volatility speculators cut back on their bullish net positions in the S&P 500 VIX Futures markets this week, according to the latest Commitment of Traders (COT) data released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday.
The non-commercial futures contracts of VIX futures, traded by large speculators and hedge funds, totaled a net position of 74,563 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday February 13th. This was a weekly fall of -11,255 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 85,818 net contracts.
The speculative position had been in negative territory dating back to May 2106 before turning bullish last week following the sharp stock market sell off. The overall position remained bullish this week although at a decreasing level.
VIX Commercial Positions:
The commercial traders position, hedgers or traders engaged in buying and selling for business purposes, totaled a net position of -73,959 contracts on the week. This was a weekly shortfall of -31,139 contracts from the total net of -42,820 contracts reported the previous week.
VIX:
Over the same weekly reporting time-frame, from Tuesday to Tuesday, the VIX, which tracks the volatility of the S&P 500, closed at approximately $24.97 which was a drop of $-5.01 from the previous close of $29.98, according to unofficial market data.