Live Cattle COT Report
CFTC Commitments of Traders · report date 2026-07-21 (released Jul 24, 2026) · next report expected Jul 31, 2026 (regular cycle; see the release schedule for holiday shifts)
As of the Jul 21, 2026 COT report, large speculators are net long 55,014 Live Cattle futures contracts (down 14,691 week-over-week), commercials are net short 48,925, and open interest is 303,089 contracts.
Positioning — week of 2026-07-21
| Trader category | Net position | Weekly change | % of open interest | COT index 26w | COT index 52w | COT index 3y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large speculators | 55,014 | -14,691 | 18.2% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 31.9 |
| Commercials | -48,925 | +12,399 | -16.1% | 100.0 | 100.0 | 61.5 |
| Small traders | -6,089 | +2,292 | -2.0% | 100.0 | 100.0 | 77.0 |
Net = long − short (spread positions cancel). COT index: 0 = most net-short of the lookback, 100 = most net-long. How it's computed.
Net positions since 1986
This week in numbers
- Large speculators net position fell by 14,691 contracts to 55,014 (21.1% w/w) — the largest weekly change since 2025-04-15.
- Commercials net position rose by 12,399 contracts to -48,925 (20.2% w/w) — the largest weekly change since 2025-04-15.
- Large speculators reduced their net position for a 4th consecutive week.
- Large speculators net position is at a 52-week low (55,014 contracts).
- Commercials raised their net position for a 4th consecutive week.
Every sentence above is computed from the stored series — no commentary, no forecasts.
Disaggregated breakdown — week of 2026-07-21
| Category | Net position | Weekly change |
|---|---|---|
| Producer/merchant | -112,021 | +9,240 |
| Swap dealers | 63,096 | +3,159 |
| Managed money | 75,681 | -22,454 |
| Other reportables | -20,667 | +7,763 |
| Small traders | -6,089 | +2,292 |
Recent history
| Report date | Open interest | Large spec net | Δ | Commercial net | Δ | Small trader net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-21 | 303,089 | 55,014 | -14,691 | -48,925 | +12,399 | -6,089 |
| 2026-07-14 | 311,766 | 69,705 | -11,963 | -61,324 | +9,569 | -8,381 |
| 2026-07-07 | 316,893 | 81,668 | -6,193 | -70,893 | +6,614 | -10,775 |
| 2026-06-30 | 319,572 | 87,861 | -9,291 | -77,507 | +6,951 | -10,354 |
| 2026-06-23 | 328,903 | 97,152 | +2,048 | -84,458 | -2,360 | -12,694 |
| 2026-06-16 | 329,990 | 95,104 | +12,618 | -82,098 | -10,460 | -13,006 |
| 2026-06-09 | 317,380 | 82,486 | -3,036 | -71,638 | -4,972 | -10,848 |
| 2026-06-02 | 343,287 | 85,522 | -1,314 | -66,666 | +8,667 | -18,856 |
| 2026-05-26 | 349,927 | 86,836 | -4,053 | -75,333 | +2,965 | -11,503 |
| 2026-05-19 | 364,542 | 90,889 | -3,616 | -78,298 | -521 | -12,591 |
| 2026-05-12 | 354,995 | 94,505 | -9,214 | -77,777 | +11,259 | -16,728 |
| 2026-05-05 | 360,025 | 103,719 | +3,381 | -89,036 | -2,557 | -14,683 |
| 2026-04-28 | 350,035 | 100,338 | -2,135 | -86,479 | -367 | -13,859 |
| 2026-04-21 | 339,003 | 102,473 | -3,115 | -86,112 | +5,012 | -16,361 |
| 2026-04-14 | 340,989 | 105,588 | +1,572 | -91,124 | -3,348 | -14,464 |
| 2026-04-07 | 343,368 | 104,016 | +11,756 | -87,776 | -10,242 | -16,240 |
| 2026-03-31 | 339,048 | 92,260 | +10,113 | -77,534 | -8,336 | -14,726 |
| 2026-03-24 | 334,831 | 82,147 | +3,985 | -69,198 | -3,927 | -12,949 |
| 2026-03-17 | 334,142 | 78,162 | -3,249 | -65,271 | +2,775 | -12,891 |
| 2026-03-10 | 334,594 | 81,411 | -6,439 | -68,046 | +6,447 | -13,365 |
| 2026-03-03 | 342,175 | 87,850 | -3,896 | -74,493 | +2,712 | -13,357 |
| 2026-02-24 | 341,685 | 91,746 | +11 | -77,205 | +1,148 | -14,541 |
| 2026-02-17 | 330,128 | 91,735 | +5,979 | -78,353 | -4,981 | -13,382 |
| 2026-02-10 | 325,815 | 85,756 | -6,093 | -73,372 | +6,285 | -12,384 |
| 2026-02-03 | 336,190 | 91,849 | +2,871 | -79,657 | -2,131 | -12,192 |
| 2026-01-27 | 332,214 | 88,978 | -371 | -77,526 | -54 | -11,452 |
Full history, no login: CSV (1986-01-15 → 2026-07-21) · JSON
Contract facts
FAQ
- Are large speculators long or short Live Cattle futures?
- As of the 2026-07-21 COT report, large speculators (non-commercial traders) are net long 55,014 contracts in Live Cattle futures.
- How current is this Live Cattle COT data?
- The latest report is dated 2026-07-21 (positions as of that Tuesday's close), published by the CFTC on 2026-07-24. This page updates within minutes of each weekly release.
- Where can I download Live Cattle COT history?
- The full weekly series (1986-01-15 to 2026-07-21) is free at /data/cot/live-cattle.csv — no login, no cap.
Related markets
Source: CFTC Commitments of Traders, legacy futures-only report, contract code 057642. Dataset coverage 1986-01-15 → 2026-07-21. Methodology.