Trading 102: Commitment of Traders Report – What Lies Beneath
CFTC Launches New Commitments of Traders Reports; The New Environment Allows Users the Choice to Access Data with Enhanced Features or Utilize the Traditional Format
In this 24 page PDF booklet, Gary Kamen of Trends in Futures reviews the commitment of traders report, what it means, how traders can utilize it and much more.
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This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgment in trading
Learn about the 25 Proven Strategies for trading options on CME Group Futures for FREE!
If you are currently trading options on futures or are interested in exploring them further, check out our newly updated trading guide, featuring 25 commonly used options strategies, including butterflies, straddles, strangles, backspread and conversions. Each strategy includes an illustration demonstrating the effect of time decay on the total option premium involved in the position.
Options on futures rank among our most versatile risk management tools, and are offered on most of our products. Whether you trade options for purposes of hedging or speculating, you can limit your risk to the amount you paid up-front for the option while maintaining your exposure to beneficial price movements. To learn more about CME Group options, you can also visit our Options page
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
Futures Trading Levels
10-17-2022
SP500 #ES_FNasdaq100 #NQ_FDow Jones #YM_FMini Russell #RTY_FBitCoin Index #BRTI SP500 Dec. Gold #GC_F Dec. Silver #SI_F Oct. Crude Oil #CL-F Dec. Bonds #ZB_F Dec. 10 yr #ZN_F Dec. Corn #ZC_F Dec. Wheat #ZW_F Nov. Beans #ZS_F Dec. SoyMeal #ZM_F Oct. Nat Gas #NG_F Dec. Coffee #KC_F Dec. Cocoa #CC_F October Sugar #SB_F Dec. Cotton #CT_F Sept. Euro Currency
Weekly Levels
Reports, First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week:
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgment in trading
The above chart is an example of mostly “good signals”. Like any other concept, this model has “failed signals” as well and it is always MUCH easier to explain and review any method looking back after the fact then when one is trading live money in real time. Please read disclaimer below as it is VERY appropriate.
HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE MANY INHERENT LIMITATIONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE DESCRIBED BELOW. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFITS OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN. IN FACT, THERE ARE FREQUENTLY SHARP DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND THE ACTUAL RESULTS SUBSEQUENTLY ACHIEVED BY ANY PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM.
ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS IS THAT THEY ARE GENERALLY PREPARED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. IN ADDITION, HYPOTHETICAL TRADING DOES NO INVOLVE FINACIAL RISK, AND NO HYPOTHETICAL TRADING RECORD CAN COMPLETLEY ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL RISK IN ACTUAL TRADING. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND LOSSES OR TO ADHERE TO A PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM IN SPITE OF TRADING LOSSES ARE MATERIAL POINTS WHICH CAN ALSO ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER FACTORS RELATED TO THE MARKETS IN GENERAL OR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY SPECIFIC TRADING PROGRAM WHICH CANNOT BE FULLY ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE PREPARATION OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND ALL OF WHICH CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS.
Futures Trading Videos:
1. Identifying Support And Resistance Using A Line Chart.
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
Futures Trading Levels
10-10-2022
SP500 #ES_FNasdaq100 #NQ_FDow Jones #YM_FMini Russell #RTY_FBitCoin Index #BRTI SP500 Dec. Gold #GC_F Dec. Silver #SI_F Oct. Crude Oil #CL-F Dec. Bonds #ZB_F Dec. 10 yr #ZN_F Dec. Corn #ZC_F Dec. Wheat #ZW_F Nov. Beans #ZS_F Dec. SoyMeal #ZM_F Oct. Nat Gas #NG_F Dec. Coffee #KC_F Dec. Cocoa #CC_F October Sugar #SB_F Dec. Cotton #CT_F Sept. Euro Currency
Weekly Levels
Reports, First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week:
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgment in trading
“One way our brain helps keep us safe is to protect us from an awareness of our weaknesses. The brain believes that it is better to be falsely confident than recognize the real risks. This protective mechanism tends to work against us in trading.” Kenneth Reid, Ph.D
MINDING THE MIND
The mind can play tricks on us. Intuitive Trading is an attempt to mind read the market, which makes us susceptible to whipsaws. Hindsight Bias causes traders to underestimate the difficulty of trading, while Competency Bias causes us to over-estimate our abilities. These are mental banana peels that set us up for a fall.
INTUITIVE TRADING
Intuitive trading is a natural response to excessive randomness and non-linearity in the market. But making informed guesses is not the same as formulating a rule-based pattern-recognition system that gives a trader a true edge. Without a rule-based plan, intuitive traders expend a great deal of energy mindreading the market, which will not improve your odds of success. In fact, professional traders make a good living exploiting the emotionally-driven behavior of intuitive amateurs.
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
Futures Trading Levels
10-03-2022
SP500 #ES_FNasdaq100 #NQ_FDow Jones #YM_FMini Russell #RTY_FBitCoin Index #BRTI SP500 Dec. Gold #GC_F Dec. Silver #SI_F Oct. Crude Oil #CL-F Dec. Bonds #ZB_F Dec. 10 yr #ZN_F Dec. Corn #ZC_F Dec. Wheat #ZW_F Nov. Beans #ZS_F Dec. SoyMeal #ZM_F Oct. Nat Gas #NG_F Dec. Coffee #KC_F Dec. Cocoa #CC_F October Sugar #SB_F Dec. Cotton #CT_F Sept. Euro Currency
Weekly Levels
Reports, First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week:
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgment in trading
Most retail clients I work with will enter trades either at market or using a limit order (better price than current market price), however, there are times that depending on your trading strategy , entering the trade on a stop order might be better.
Example, you are looking for momentum and making a few ticks and you feel that the current resistance on natural gas is 3.570 and in this hypothetical example the market is trading at 3.550.
You place a buy stop order to enter the market at 3.573 because you want to see the resistance violated and you are looking for possible continuation and follow through if that happens.
If the market does not brake the resistance line in this “educational example”, you don’t get in the trade. If it does, then your buy stop will trigger you long at best market price.
Some traders will take this a step further and use a buy stop/limit. example buy stop 3.573 / limit 3.575 meaning fill me if we break 3.573 but no worse than 3.575. In this case you are willing to “miss the trade” but you know what is your predefined slippage.
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
Futures Trading Levels
09-26-2022
SP500 #ES_FNasdaq100 #NQ_FDow Jones #YM_FMini Russell #RTY_FBitCoin Index #BRTI SP500 Dec. Gold #GC_F Dec. Silver #SI_F Oct. Crude Oil #CL-F Dec. Bonds #ZB_F Dec. 10 yr #ZN_F Dec. Corn #ZC_F Dec. Wheat #ZW_F Nov. Beans #ZS_F Dec. SoyMeal #ZM_F Oct. Nat Gas #NG_F Dec. Coffee #KC_F Dec. Cocoa #CC_F October Sugar #SB_F Dec. Cotton #CT_F Sept. Euro Currency
Weekly Levels
Reports, First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week:
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgment in trading
Price action yesterday during FOMC and today leads me to talk about the “type of market environment you are trading”.
Yesterday we saw extremely volatile action both sides of the market with the end result a sharp down move.
Today we saw again, volatile, at times sporadic price moves both up and down.
Volume both days was heavy.
My opinion is that there are 3 main types of trading days.
1. Most common is two sided trading action with swings up and down – this type of trading day is most suitable for using support and resistance levels along with overbought/oversold indicators.
2. Strong trending day, mostly one directional – this type of trading day is the least common, many times will happen on Mondays and maybe 3-5 times a month at most – this type of trading day is most suitable for using ADX, MACD crossovers and pretty much looking for pullbacks to jump on the trend
3. Slow and/ or choppy trading day – this type of trading day is best suited for taking small profits from the market by looking at volume spikes, using stochastics as possible entry signals and usually wait for a pullback before jumping in.
Good question is how can one asses what type of trading day we will have while the market is still trading….I am doing some work about it and will be happy to hear feedback via email but here are some initial observations:
Was the overnight session a wide, two sided trading range? If the answer is yes, good chances for similar trading day during the primary session ( primary session is when the cash/ stock market is open)
Mondays have the highest chance for trending days
The behavior of the first hour of trading can also suggests the type of action for the rest of the day.
If the first 30 minutes have good volume, better chances for type 1 or type 2 trading days.
low volume during first 30 minutes can suggest a choppy (type 3 trading day)
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
Futures Trading Levels
09-23-2022
SP500 #ES_FNasdaq100 #NQ_FDow Jones #YM_FMini Russell #RTY_FBitCoin Index #BRTI SP500 Dec. Gold #GC_F Dec. Silver #SI_F Oct. Crude Oil #CL-F Dec. Bonds #ZB_F Dec. 10 yr #ZN_F Dec. Corn #ZC_F Dec. Wheat #ZW_F Nov. Beans #ZS_F Dec. SoyMeal #ZM_F Oct. Nat Gas #NG_F Dec. Coffee #KC_F Dec. Cocoa #CC_F October Sugar #SB_F Dec. Cotton #CT_F Sept. Euro Currency
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts here in contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable, but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgement in trading.
Trading 101: 5 Big Mistakes Beginners Should Avoid Making
Trading Futures Is A Tough Business, But If You Are One Of The Very Few That Can Succeed, This Could Be A Lucrative Business As Well
Ilan Levy-Mayer |SmallCapPower
I have seen quite a bit since I became a broker in 1998. Some war stories to share about the markets, some crazy moves and much more in between. I was trading futures with clients on the sad Sept. 11th 2001 day when the planes hit and the markets were plunging before they were closed for almost a week. I witnessed the meat contracts making limit up and limit down moves over the years and much more…..
As a commodity broker I have observed MANY traders, many of them were new traders, and this allows me to share with you some valuable observations I hope will help you start your futures trading journey on a much smoother road than most.
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
Futures Trading Levels
09-19-2022
SP500 #ES_FNasdaq100 #NQ_FDow Jones #YM_FMini Russell #RTY_FBitCoin Index #BRTI SP500 Dec. Gold #GC_F Dec. Silver #SI_F Oct. Crude Oil #CL-F Dec. Bonds #ZB_F Dec. 10 yr #ZN_F Dec. Corn #ZC_F Dec. Wheat #ZW_F Nov. Beans #ZS_F Dec. SoyMeal #ZM_F Oct. Nat Gas #NG_F Dec. Coffee #KC_F Dec. Cocoa #CC_F October Sugar #SB_F Dec. Cotton #CT_F Sept. Euro Currency
Weekly Levels
Reports, First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week:
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgment in trading
Today’s energy crude oil market is truly global. From West Texas Intermediate (WTI) to Brent and DME Oman, the crude oil market fuels many of the world’s leading economies and impact nearly every nation. Energy crude oil futures and options provide the tools the industry needs to manage risk. Explore the key concepts and structure of today’s energy markets, including the factors that affect supply and demand and move prices. Learn how to use these instruments to hedge exposure and unlock opportunities
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
Futures Trading Levels
09-12-2022
Weekly Levels
Reports, First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week:
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgment in trading
“You Must Understand That There Is More Than One Path To The Top Of The Mountain.”- Miyamoto Musashi, A Book Of Five Rings: The Classic Guide To Strategy
Many experienced traders say that the stiffest challenge you’ll face in becoming a futures trader is conquering your own psyche. Why? Because losing is part of trading, and people hate to lose.
In this “Trading Psychology” Course you will learn:
· How to examine your patterns and behaviors and recognize when they are holding you back
· Maintaining self-confidence as a trader even in the face of inexperience
· The mathematical expectation model and how it can decrease your losses
· Determining the trading plan that is right for your trading personality
· Understanding and using Motivation – Risk – Reward to its full advantage
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
Futures Trading Levels
09-05-2022
Weekly Levels
Reports, First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week:
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgment in trading
Trading 201: Trading Futures Spreads – Basic But Important Strategy
“A Basic And Important Strategy For Commodities Traders Using Spread Trading.”
By: Mark O’Brien, Cannon Trading Commodities Broker
Over my 20+ year career as a commodities broker, I have studied and traded a wide range of approaches to trading the futures markets. From candlestick formations to the commodity channel index, from condors to turtle trading, there’s an enormous catalog of tools and methods available for traders to consider.
One method I have noticed is surprisingly underrepresented among retail traders is futures spread trading, where a single position in the market consists of the simultaneous purchase of one futures contract and sale of a related futures contract as a unit. I call it surprising because some of the most invested players in futures trading – and arguably the most sophisticated – include large speculators and commercial firms who regularly employ spreads. This includes traders in the markets who often actually buy and sell the physical commodities we trade. Farmers, ranchers and other food growers along with food producers, petroleum companies who either drill for oil or natural gas or refine these products – or both, financial institutions with enormous holdings in treasuries, equities or currencies, mining interests and their buyers – all these areas of production and distribution employ spreads from time to time as an important aspect of their businesses. Indeed, spread trading is a fundamental and essential part of the commodities futures markets.
At the same time, despite the remarkable increase in interest and in the growth in the volume of the futures markets over the years, spread trading is typically dismissed by most other traders in search of a trading strategy. With so much attention focused on other approaches related to straightforward directional trading (and within that category, day-trading) it’s not difficult to see how spread trading can be overlooked.
Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time when it comes to Futures Trading.
Futures Trading Levels
08-16-2022
Weekly Levels
Reports, First Notice (FN), Last trading (LT) Days for the Week:
This is not a solicitation of any order to buy or sell, but a current market view provided by Cannon Trading Inc. Any statement of facts herein contained are derived from sources believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed as to accuracy, nor they purport to be complete. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any such statement or with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. Readers are urged to exercise their own judgment in trading
RISK DISCLOSURE: Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. The risk of loss in futures trading can be substantial, carefully consider the inherent risks of such an investment in light of your financial condition.