Top 10 Commodities to Trade

Steel is created from iron ore and carbon, and on occasion, other elements such as manganese and tungsten. It may also be recycled through electric arc method furnacing. It is relatively inexpensive to produce, strong and used in a wide variety of applications. An average commercial steel building costs between $16 and $20 per square foot, including […]

As with soy beans, corn is widely produced and used, and its price is dependent on the demand for the products it is used to create. Corn is used to make: Food products Animal feed Biofuel Industrial products The price of corn may also be affected by environmental conditions and the effects on the corn crop, and

Iron ore is widely available and a relatively easy commodity to mine. Historically, supply has matched demand, lending iron ore a relatively stable price. However, the recent urbanization of China and its increased demand for iron ore to manufacture steel has led to a shortage of iron ore in comparison to demand. This has driven up

Soy beans are widely used, high in protein and inexpensive to produce. The main producers are the US, Brazil, China, Argentina and India. Besides their basic use, soy beans are also instrumental in the production of: Animal feed Meat substitutes Soybean oil A substitute for milk Biodiesel Factors that may affect the price of soy beans

Currently one of the most volatile agricultural commodities on this list, coffee is widely consumed and produced. The major producers of coffee are Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia and Ethiopia. Numerous factors affect the price of coffee: Political and economic turmoil in the producing countries Weather conditions and their affect on coffee bean crops Transportation costs, which may,

With its ability to conduct heat and electricity and its resistance to corrosion and the effects of the weather, copper has many industrial and manufacturing applications: Electrical wires Piping Roof tiles Industrial machinery As part of an alloy Copper is widely available and one of the most used metals globally. Both supply and demand are therefore high.

The second of the fossil fuels in this article, natural gas is used as an energy and fuel source. It too relies on supply and demand to arrive at a price but is a rarer material and more expensive to source than crude oil. Unlike crude oil, the price of natural gas is often driven by our

The first of the fossil fuels on our list, crude oil is not simply a source of energy. It can also be used for: Petrochemicals Production of textiles Production of fertilizers Production of steel Lubricants Plastics So, while green energy becomes increasingly popular, crude oil is likely to continue to be in demand for the foreseeable future.

Another precious metal, as a commodity, silver shares many of the attributes of gold: Rare and therefore in high demand Used in the jewelry trade and industry Generally seen as a safe investment However, due to the greater percentage of the silver supply that is used in industry, for instance, for solar panels, it may be more

Gold is one of the most regularly-traded commodities and is a precious metal that is continually in demand. Gold is rare, increasing its competitive demand, at an estimated 170,000 tonnes worldwide. Used widely in the jewelry trade, gold is also purchased as an investment in its bar and base form and used to a lesser extent