CME · Currencies · Futures
CME South African Rand (6Z) is ZAR 500,000 quoted in U.S. dollars per unit of currency, traded nearly 24 hours a day on CME Globex.
Source: CME Group contract specifications · reviewed Sep 30, 2026
| Contract | Roll date | First notice | Last trading day | Days left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6ZZ26 Dec 2026 Active | Mon, Dec 7, 2026 | n/a | Mon, Dec 14, 2026 | 76 |
| 6ZH27 Mar 2027 | Mon, Mar 8, 2027 | n/a | Mon, Mar 15, 2027 | 167 |
| 6ZM27 Jun 2027 | Mon, Jun 7, 2027 | n/a | Mon, Jun 14, 2027 | 258 |
| 6ZU27 Sep 2027 | Fri, Sep 3, 2027 | n/a | Mon, Sep 13, 2027 | 349 |
| 6ZZ27 Dec 2027 | Mon, Dec 6, 2027 | n/a | Mon, Dec 13, 2027 | 440 |
| 6ZH28 Mar 2028 | Mon, Mar 6, 2028 | n/a | Mon, Mar 13, 2028 | 531 |
Roll. Liquidity moves to the next quarter about a week before expiry. The date shown is five business days before the last trading day.
First notice day. No first notice day. Brokers require positions to be closed or rolled before the last trading day.
Last trading day. Second business day before the third Wednesday of the contract month.
US exchange holidays ahead: Nov 26 · Dec 25 · Jan 1 · Jan 18 · Feb 15 · Mar 26 · May 31 · Jun 18
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 session (reference) | Mon–Fri 8:20 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Mon–Fri 7:20 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | – |
| Daily settlement | 3:00 p.m. | 2:00 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 | Maintenance |
|---|---|
| Oct 2026 – Sep 2028 Active | $1,600 |
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.
−28,355 net contracts
−517 vs. prior week · −74.9% of OI
Movement (6 wk): −24
Banks and dealers on the other side of client flow. Tend to act contrarian – selling strength, buying weakness.
+22,833 net contracts
+801 vs. prior week · +60.3% of OI
Movement (6 wk): +25
Pension funds, insurers and mutual funds – including currency hedging of foreign holdings.
+3,745 net contracts
+203 vs. prior week · +9.9% of OI
Movement (6 wk): +6
Hedge funds and CTAs. Trend followers – their net position tends to run with price and peaks near turning points.
| Group | Long | Short | Net | Δ 1 wk | Δ 4 wk | Index 26 wk | Index 3 yr | Move 6 wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dealers / Intermediaries | 1,470 | 29,825 | −28,355 | −517 | −7,416 | 0 | 18 | −24 |
| Asset Managers | 23,262 | 429 | +22,833 | +801 | +6,506 | 100 | 63 | +25 |
| Leveraged Funds | 9,422 | 5,677 | +3,745 | +203 | +1,212 | 46 | 77 | +6 |
| Other Reportables | 0 | 165 | −165 | ±0 | −962 | 23 | 61 | −15 |
| Nonreportables | 3,169 | 1,227 | +1,942 | −487 | +660 | 47 | 81 | +8 |
| Group | Long | Short | Net | Δ 1 wk | Δ 4 wk | Index 26 wk | Index 3 yr | Move 6 wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercials | 13,141 | 30,781 | −17,640 | −36 | −4,461 | 0 | 45 | −15 |
| Non-Commercials | 21,035 | 5,337 | +15,698 | +523 | +3,801 | 100 | 53 | +16 |
| Nonreportables (small) | 3,169 | 1,227 | +1,942 | −487 | +660 | 47 | 81 | +8 |
| Report date | Dealers / Intermediaries | Asset Managers | Leveraged Funds | Other Reportables | Nonreportables | Open interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2026 | −28,355 | +22,833 | +3,745 | −165 | +1,942 | 37,849 |
| Sep 15, 2026 | −27,838 | +22,032 | +3,542 | −165 | +2,429 | 44,699 |
| Sep 8, 2026 | −23,937 | +20,233 | +354 | +857 | +2,493 | 46,838 |
| Sep 1, 2026 | −22,265 | +17,312 | +2,016 | +857 | +2,080 | 36,349 |
| Aug 25, 2026 | −20,939 | +16,327 | +2,533 | +797 | +1,282 | 35,719 |
| Aug 18, 2026 | −16,755 | +12,646 | +1,681 | +530 | +1,898 | 32,248 |
| Aug 11, 2026 | −14,562 | +11,426 | +1,065 | +429 | +1,642 | 32,605 |
| Aug 4, 2026 | −13,082 | +8,539 | +2,790 | −271 | +2,024 | 29,188 |
| Jul 28, 2026 | −14,043 | +9,286 | +3,212 | −271 | +1,816 | 28,361 |
| Jul 21, 2026 | −15,362 | +11,015 | +2,654 | −255 | +1,948 | 27,605 |
| Jul 14, 2026 | −16,194 | +11,417 | +2,663 | −245 | +2,359 | 27,642 |
| Jul 7, 2026 | −16,123 | +10,838 | +3,587 | −345 | +2,043 | 27,185 |
Source: CFTC Public Reporting Environment · contract market code 122741 (SO AFRICAN RAND - CHICAGO MERCANTILE EXCHANGE)
Before commissions and exchange fees. Prices round to the nearest tick of 0.0000025.
One tick is 0.0000025 USD per ZAR, worth $1.25 per contract.
9:16 a.m. CT on the second business day before the third Wednesday of the contract 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.