{Speaking to a hall filled with traders hungry for clarity, Plazo Sullivan Roche Capital co-founder Joseph Plazo delivered a electric talk on the one market report almost nobody studies properly. He argued that the COT, when decoded correctly, is nothing less than a market x-ray—a transparent look into the intentions of the world’s most powerful traders.
“The markets talk. The COT is its confession,” he began, laying out how Plazo Sullivan Roche Capital uses the report as a core element of its institutional models.
Most retail traders, he noted, chase indicators—they react. Professionals study posture—they anticipate. The COT is posture.
The Smart Money Tells Its Story Here
He detailed the three tribes that define market structure:
Hedgers, who move billions to manage real-world exposure
Institutions, who drive macro trends
Leveraged novices, whose footprints often signal tops or bottoms
The magic is in the deltas.
He shared how Plazo Sullivan integrates COT data into an AI system that detects:
Macro build-ups
Cycle rotation
Crowded trade unwinds
“In markets,” he noted, “data is noise until someone gives it voice.” That voice is structure, positioning, and timing—three pillars he hammered repeatedly throughout the TED stage.
The Playbook for Traders
Plazo presented click here a three-step method traders can use immediately:
Identify extremes
When commercials hit record longs or shorts, something big is brewing.
Watch the shift
Violent swings often precede trend reversals.
Trade in harmony with institutions
When funds load long into weakness, retail panic is often the entry signal.
“The COT won’t tell you when to enter,” he said, “but it will reveal where the ocean is flowing. Your job is simply to surf the tide.”
Where Plazo Sullivan Is Taking This Next
He wrapped up with a glimpse into the next evolution of analysis at Plazo Sullivan Roche Capital:
AI that reads the Commitment of Traders Report not as one snapshot, but as a story—a shifting orchestration of institutional intent.
He projected a future where retail traders who ignore positioning will continue to be targets for institutional algorithms, but those who embrace structural tools like the COT will be able to compete with unprecedented clarity.
The hall rose to their feet.
A government-issued data sheet had just been transformed into a strategic weapon—thanks to Joseph Plazo’s mastery of markets and human behavior.