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Brent bulls, WTI bears

Money managers rebuilt Brent length but increased shorts in WTI. Short-covering in Gasoil
Published: August 17, 2026
Written by:
Martha Dowding

Martha Dowding

Research Associate, Flux
Martha Dowding
Reviewed by:
Giovanni Simonetti

Giovanni Simonetti

Junior Data Analyst, Flux
Giovanni Simonetti
13 page report
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In the week to 11 Aug, money managers rebuilt length aggressively in Brent futures,

  • In the week to 11 Aug, money managers rebuilt length aggressively in Brent futures, adding 43.7k to long positions (+13.4%) and cutting 8.2k shorts (−6.2%). Fund net positioning strengthened to 245.9mb, the highest in two months, though only back to around the yearly average (250k). The fund long:short ratio rose to 3.00:1.00 (34th percentile), up from 2.48:1.00. The move reverses the prior week's de-risking, showing funds' risk premium was back on in the week to 11 Aug.
  •  In the week to 11 Aug, WTI length was essentially flat (+0.5%), but shorts added +7.9% to their position w/w. This pressured the net positioning, a second consecutive weekly decline. The managed money long:short ratio is 1.72:1.00, which is in the 23rd percentile since 2013. This shows WTI spec positioning is less bullish than Brent.

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Written by

Martha Dowding

Research Associate, Flux
Martha Dowding

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