The CFTC plans to increase Commitments of Traders publication from once to twice a week by the end of 2026. Under the schedule announced on 27 October, Monday positions would be published on Wednesday and Wednesday positions on Friday, with both releases at 3:30pm Eastern Time.[1]
The commission says the reporting lag would fall from three days to two. Its Division of Data is preparing the additional production cycle following a request for comment and feedback from agricultural-market participants. An exact start date has not been announced.[1]
COT publication schedule proposed by the CFTC
| Position observation | Planned publication | Time lag |
|---|---|---|
| Monday snapshot | Wednesday, 3:30pm ET | Two daysSource 1 |
| Wednesday snapshot | Friday, 3:30pm ET | Two daysSource 1 |
| Existing weekly schedule | Weekly publication | Three-day lag cited by CFTCSource 1 |
| Target start | By end of 2026 | Planned, not confirmed effective dateSource 1 |
The observation date remains essential when comparing positioning with price moves: a Wednesday release of Monday positions contains no observation of Tuesday’s or Wednesday’s trading. The faster timetable increases the number of historical snapshots without creating a live position feed.[1]
For research charts and backtests, the change creates a break in sampling frequency. Analysts need to retain both the position date and its publication time so that the extra observations are not mistaken for information available earlier.[1]
Sources & further reading
- CFTC Announces Semiweekly Publication of the COT Report Commodity Futures Trading Commission · 27 Oct 2026 · Accessed 30 Oct 2026