NYMEX · Energy · Futures
NYMEX NY Harbor ULSD (HO), still called heating oil, is the US diesel benchmark: 42,000 gallons, physically delivered in New York Harbor.
Source: CME Group contract specifications · reviewed Sep 30, 2026
| Contract | Roll date | First notice | Last trading day | Days left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOV26 Oct 2026 | Wed, Sep 23, 2026 | n/a | Wed, Sep 30, 2026 | 1 |
| HOX26 Nov 2026 Active | Fri, Oct 23, 2026 | n/a | Fri, Oct 30, 2026 | 31 |
| HOZ26 Dec 2026 | Fri, Nov 20, 2026 | n/a | Mon, Nov 30, 2026 | 62 |
| HOF27 Jan 2027 | Wed, Dec 23, 2026 | n/a | Thu, Dec 31, 2026 | 93 |
| HOG27 Feb 2027 | Fri, Jan 22, 2027 | n/a | Fri, Jan 29, 2027 | 122 |
| HOH27 Mar 2027 | Fri, Feb 19, 2027 | n/a | Fri, Feb 26, 2027 | 150 |
Roll. The date shown is five business days before the last trading day; volume usually moves to the next month around then.
First notice day. No separate first notice day – delivery is scheduled after the last trading day. Brokers require positions to be closed or rolled before expiry, usually several days earlier.
Last trading day. Last business day of the month before the contract month.
US exchange holidays ahead: Nov 26 · Dec 25 · Jan 1 · Jan 18 · Feb 15
Calculated from exchange rules and the US exchange holiday calendar. Confirm with the CME Group expiration calendar.
| Session | Eastern (ET) | Central (CT) | Your time |
|---|---|---|---|
| CME Globex (electronic) | Sun–Fri 6:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Sun–Fri 5:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | – |
| Daily maintenance break | Mon–Thu 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Mon–Thu 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | – |
| US day session (reference) | Mon–Fri 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | – |
| Daily settlement | 2:30 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. | – |
Holiday hours differ – check the exchange holiday calendar before trading around US holidays. ET is New York time, CT is Chicago time (always one hour behind ET).
| Contract | Long position | Short position |
|---|---|---|
| HOV26 Oct 2026 | $13,580 | $13,934 |
| HOX26 Nov 2026 Active | $13,113 | $12,870 |
| HOZ26 Dec 2026 | $12,200 | $12,179 |
| HOF27 Jan 2027 | $11,463 | $11,286 |
Exchange margins are the minimum your clearing firm must collect for positions held overnight. Brokers may require more – and usually offer much lower day-trading margins for positions closed before the session ends. A neutral broker day-margin comparison is coming soon.
−83,131 net contracts
+954 vs. prior week · −30.3% of OI
Movement (6 wk): −2
Producers, merchants, processors and users hedging physical business – the classic commercials. They tend to buy weakness and sell strength.
+51,374 net contracts
+1,548 vs. prior week · +18.7% of OI
Movement (6 wk): +11
Swap dealers – banks hedging OTC swaps, including commodity index money. Often structurally positioned; read against their own range, not the sign.
+9,437 net contracts
−3,263 vs. prior week · +3.4% of OI
Movement (6 wk): −5
Managed money – CTAs, commodity pools and hedge funds. Trend followers; their positioning tends to peak near turning points.
| Group | Long | Short | Net | Δ 1 wk | Δ 4 wk | Index 26 wk | Index 3 yr | Move 6 wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producers / Merchants | 61,778 | 144,909 | −83,131 | +954 | +1,056 | 13 | 44 | −2 |
| Swap Dealers | 57,451 | 6,077 | +51,374 | +1,548 | +1,283 | 100 | 44 | +11 |
| Managed Money | 35,142 | 25,705 | +9,437 | −3,263 | −7,204 | 30 | 63 | −5 |
| Other Reportables | 9,726 | 8,532 | +1,194 | +4,941 | +5,355 | 100 | 38 | +3 |
| Nonreportables | 51,241 | 30,115 | +21,126 | −4,180 | −490 | 28 | 76 | −8 |
| Group | Long | Short | Net | Δ 1 wk | Δ 4 wk | Index 26 wk | Index 3 yr | Move 6 wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercials | 128,813 | 160,570 | −31,757 | +2,502 | +2,339 | 35 | 34 | +3 |
| Non-Commercials | 44,868 | 34,237 | +10,631 | +1,678 | −1,849 | 77 | 61 | −0 |
| Nonreportables (small) | 51,241 | 30,115 | +21,126 | −4,180 | −490 | 28 | 76 | −8 |
| Report date | Producers / Merchants | Swap Dealers | Managed Money | Other Reportables | Nonreportables | Open interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2026 | −83,131 | +51,374 | +9,437 | +1,194 | +21,126 | 274,811 |
| Sep 15, 2026 | −84,085 | +49,826 | +12,700 | −3,747 | +25,306 | 277,030 |
| Sep 8, 2026 | −82,189 | +48,762 | +15,359 | −3,651 | +21,719 | 265,080 |
| Sep 1, 2026 | −86,551 | +48,821 | +20,344 | −6,265 | +23,651 | 265,540 |
| Aug 25, 2026 | −84,187 | +50,091 | +16,641 | −4,161 | +21,616 | 271,269 |
| Aug 18, 2026 | −83,877 | +48,824 | +15,883 | −2,004 | +21,174 | 271,139 |
| Aug 11, 2026 | −81,581 | +44,179 | +13,574 | −385 | +24,213 | 266,020 |
| Aug 4, 2026 | −78,397 | +44,245 | +11,097 | −202 | +23,257 | 253,378 |
| Jul 28, 2026 | −78,597 | +45,093 | +11,246 | −726 | +22,984 | 249,594 |
| Jul 21, 2026 | −76,578 | +42,682 | +13,381 | −3,667 | +24,182 | 259,203 |
| Jul 14, 2026 | −74,824 | +42,429 | +10,705 | −2,229 | +23,919 | 262,842 |
| Jul 7, 2026 | −67,055 | +43,459 | +4,786 | +476 | +18,334 | 275,975 |
Source: CFTC Public Reporting Environment · contract market code 022651 (NY HARBOR ULSD - NEW YORK MERCANTILE EXCHANGE)
Before commissions and exchange fees. Prices round to the nearest tick of 0.0001.
One tick is $0.0001 per gallon, worth $4.20 per contract. A 1-cent move is worth $420.
On the last business day of the month before the delivery month.
The COT Index places a group's current net position within its own range over a lookback window: 100 = the most net long in that window, 0 = the most net short. It measures positioning extremes, not timing.