European carbon prices continued their upward trajectory into Friday’s session, extending a broadly positive week in which EUAs once again moved in the opposite direction to gas prices. The Dec’25 contract closed the month at €83.26, marking a 6% monthly gain — the strongest increase since January.
The latest Commitment of Traders (CoT) report, published on Wednesday by the ICE platform, shows that as of the end of last week investment funds have trimmed their net long positions (long minus short) to 101 million allowances.
After dipping below €80 in early Monday trading, the European carbon market rebounded, climbing to a two-week peak of €82.32 in early trading on Wednesday, even as gas and power markets posted significant declines.
European energy markets weakened on Friday as renewed optimism over a possible Ukraine–Russia peace deal weighed on prices. Forecasts showing that the current cold spell across much of Europe will soon be replaced by milder, windier weather added further downward pressure.
According to the latest Commitment of Traders (CoT) report released on Wednesday by ICE, investment funds participating in the European carbon market raised their net long positions (long-short) to 102 million allowances in the week ending November 14, marking a 4.5% increase compared with the previous week.
The European carbon market recorded its strongest daily gain in two weeks on Tuesday. After three consecutive bullish sessions, the EUA Dec ’25 contract climbed 1.63% to close at €81.22, recovering part of the losses seen earlier in the month.
The European carbon market traded on a positive note during the first three sessions of last week. After touching a new ten-month high on Thursday, prices pulled back, ending the week with two consecutive daily declines.
While it remains difficult to predict the exact trajectory of carbon prices, there is broad consensus among analysts that they are likely to rise over the course of 2026. Another area of agreement is the set of factors expected to drive this increase.
The latest ICE Commitment of Traders (CoT) report indicates that investment funds lifted their net-long positions (long-term holdings minus short positions) to 97.5 million allowances at the end of last week—a steep jump from just 1 million the week before.
On Monday, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI) adopted its position on the 2040 climate target, largely mirroring the deal reached by EU ministers last week, with 55 votes in favor and 32 against.