Speculators Still Dollar Negative

Speculators in the futures market made several significant position adjustments in the CFTC reporting week ending July 4, despite it being a holiday-shortened week. The gross adjustments were mostly to reduce long dollar exposure and increase short dollar exposure. This accounted for a full three-quarters of the speculative position adjustments.

There were four significant position adjustments, which we define as a change of 10k contracts or more in the gross speculative exposure. Three of these were changes in the gross short positions.

The bears covered 12.5k previously sold euro contracts, reducing the gross short position to 108.5k contracts. The bulls added but 6.3k contracts so the gross long position stands at 185.9k contracts. The net long position jumped to 77.5k contracts from 58.7k, and this is a new six-year high.

The bears also covered 10.5k Mexican peso contracts, leaving 34.5k contracts. The bulls liquidated 6.6k contracts, leaving 119.4k contracts. The net long positioned edged higher to 84.9k contracts from 81.0k.

The yen in an exception. The gross short position increased by 19.1k contracts to stand at 118.7k contracts. The gross long position increased by 5.4k contracts to 43.6k. The net long position rose to 75.0k contracts from 61.4k. It has risen by 26k contacts or nearly 50% in the past two reporting periods.

The bulls tried making a stand in sterling. They added 10.3k contracts to lift the gross long position to 54.0k in a period that sterling had extended a five-day rally into eight sessions. In the three sessions since the reporting period ending sterling has slipped by 0.3% as weak data undermined the rate hike argument.

In other developments, we noted that the net short Swiss franc position is about a hundred contracts, the smallest of the year. The next short Canadian dollar position fell by 10k contracts. It is the sixth consecutive week it has fallen but remains the only dollar-bloc currency that speculators have a net short position. The net long Australian dollar position is the largest since early May, while the 29.1k net long New Zealand dollar position is the largest since 2013.