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Z1490 – GC CFTC Gold Net Z

Gold positioning extremes mark turning points or momentum continuations (diagnostic-dependent).

At a glance

IN-SEASON · ACTIVE

Current reading

-0.186

GC CFTC Gold Net Z composite, tanh-bounded

Signal state

Neutral Positioning

9 trading days in current state

Phase

NEUTRAL

Positive equals cftc net long elevated; negative equals cftc net short elevated

Sample

37 years

Live since 1989-11

 

As of Nov 06, 2026. Updated nightly.

SIGNAL OVERVIEW

Gold positioning extremes mark turning points or momentum continuations (diagnostic-dependent). The composite is bounded between minus one and plus one through. Across 37 years Phase +1 cftc net long elevated state has returned on average plus 0.63 percent forward 60-day gold return. Phase -1 cftc net short elevated state has returned on average plus 1.35 percent. Today the composite reads , in Neutral Positioning territory.

LIVE CHART

GC CFTC Gold Net Z: composite bounded minus one to plus one.

The dark line in the top panel is the composite bounded between minus one and plus one. The pale red band marks cftc net short elevated regime. The pale green band marks cftc net long elevated regime. The bronze line in the middle panel is the trailing 252-day rolling Spearman information coefficient. The lower panel is COMEX gold continuous back-adjusted price on the right axis in dollars per ounce.

Extreme cftc net short elevated band Extreme cftc net long elevated band

COMPOSITE

-0.186 / tanh

STATE

(nightly)

PHASE

(nightly)

FWD 60d

(nightly, baseline +0.84 percent)

SAMPLE N

9,277 days

TODAY’S PLAYBOOK READING

STATE

Neutral Positioning

STATE AND HISTORY

Neutral Positioning. Sample N=9,277 days since 1989-11.

WHY THE SIGNAL IS HERE

Gold positioning extremes mark turning points or momentum continuations (diagnostic-dependent).

POSTURE FOR THE WEEKS AHEAD

The signal is a regime detector on a 60-day forward horizon. Pair with price momentum signals for conviction.

WHAT THE CHART SHOWS

Today the composite reads -0.186 placing the dot inside the Neutral Positioning band.

TOP INPUTS FIRING

  • Silver returns Primary silver price momentum.
  • 10-year TIPS-implied inflation breakeven Market-implied inflation expectation.
  • Rolling coherence trend 5-year first-difference of coherence at 170-day cycles.

THE REGIME MAP

The three regime phases, forward 60-day gold returns and sample share

Baseline gold forward 60 day return (unconditional): mean plus 0.84 percent, median plus 0.16 percent, across 8,567 trading days.

State Phase Share Fwd 60d HAC t Edge vs baseline Last firings
CFTC net long elevated +1 24.3% (2093 d) +0.63% -0.22pp Feb 2024, Sep 2023, Aug 2023
Normal TODAY 0 14.2% (1224 d) -0.99% -1.83pp Oct 2026, Jul 2026, Feb 2026
CFTC net short elevated -1 61.6% (5310 d) +1.35% +0.51pp Aug 2026, Jun 2026, Oct 2025

The historical pattern

How to use the signal today

CFTC net long elevated
2018-10
Composite series maximum
On 2018-10-10 the composite reached its series maximum plus 0.991. Gold subsequent 60-day behavior aligned with the cftc net long elevated regime pattern.
Composite +0.991 on 2018-10-10
CFTC net short elevated
1993-04
Composite series minimum
On 1993-04-07 the composite reached its series minimum minus 0.995. Gold subsequent 60-day behavior aligned with the cftc net short elevated regime pattern.
Composite -0.995 on 1993-04-07
Normal
2020-03
COVID shock regime
The March 2020 COVID liquidity shock drove violent regime shifts across gold drivers.
Multi-phase regime across COVID window

THE TRACK RECORD

Every state change in the last 2 years

9 state transitions from 04/22/2025 to 11/06/2026. Full history (212 total transitions since 11/30/1989) is downloadable.

State Start End Duration Fwd 60d SPY
Neutral 04/22/2025 06/16/2025 39d +19.03%
Defensive 06/17/2025 10/20/2025 87d +10.02%
Neutral 10/21/2025 10/27/2025 5d +3.03%
Defensive 10/28/2025 02/02/2026 66d +0.83%
Neutral 02/03/2026 06/29/2026 101d +4.22%
Defensive 06/30/2026 07/13/2026 9d +2.73%
Neutral 07/14/2026 08/03/2026 15d +3.38%
Defensive 08/04/2026 10/26/2026 59d +0.13%
Neutral LIVE 10/27/2026 current 9d ongoing

Scroll inside the table for the full history. Forward 60-day SPY is measured from each run’s start date; a reader cannot trade off a start-date they only identify in hindsight, so this is a transparency log, not an alpha claim. Asterisked (*) returns are partial. The run is less than 60 trading days old. The full 60-day comparable fills in as more data arrives.

What this measures

Gold positioning extremes mark turning points or momentum continuations (diagnostic-dependent). The composite is z-scored against a and bounded through.

Why it matters

Gold positioning extremes mark turning points or momentum continuations (diagnostic-dependent).

The signal flags the current gold regime for the next 60 trading days on average. Pair with price-based signals for precise entry.

State-conditional spreads are empirical averages across 37 years. Individual regime windows can run longer or shorter than mean sample.

GO DEEPER

Want the full depth?

Brief covers wavelet-coherence methodology, three signature episodes (2009-02 QE recoupling series max, 2015-06 decoupling series min, 2020 COVID), and four caveats on reading a cross-asset coherence signal.

Signal consumers and siblings

Not investment advice · The analysis on this page is informational and educational. Signal readings, historical case figures, and empirical statistics are derived from publicly available data and are provided without warranty. Hypothetical performance results have inherent limitations, including the benefit of hindsight. Readers who intend to trade should consult a licensed investment professional and see the research brief for the full disclaimer.

Last refreshed Nov 07, 2026 03:32 PM ET