1. Money

Commodities: Most Popular Articles

These articles are the most popular over the last month.
Wheat Growing Seasons
Wheat crops are planted and harvested at different times around the world. Included are the growing seasons for wheat in the United States and China.
Corn Growing Seasons
Corn crops are planted and harvested at different times around the world. Included are the growing seasons for corn in the United States, Brazil, China, Argentina and Europe.
Futures Margin
Futures Margin has many different meanings in futures trading and includes initial margin, maintenance levels, margin call and why margin changes.
Becoming a Broker
Learn the process of what you need to do to become a licensed commodity broker. Areas covered include passing the series 3 test, choosing a brokerage firm and what the job involves.
Value of the Copper Penny
A penny is currently worth more than one cent because of the meltdown value of copper. The value could go even higher in the future if the price of copper continues to rise. This article offers some insight and tips on how to profit from saving and collecting pennies and nickels.
Soybean Growing Seasons
Soybean crops are planted and harvested at different times around the world. Included are the growing seasons for soybeans in the United States, Brazil, China and Argentina.
The Dollar and Commodities
Commodities typically follow and inverse relationship with the value of the dollar. When the dollar strengthens against other major currencies, the prices of commodities typically drop. When the value of the dollar weakens against other major currencies, the prices of commodities generally move higher.
Futures Contract Specs
The ticker symbols for futures contracts are used to identify and retrieve quotes, charts and market data for each commodity or futures contract.
Futures Options - The Basics
Learn the basics of futures options including calls, puts, premium and strike price.
Trading Commodities Online
Trading commodities online is a fairly simple process to get started, but it is not something that should be entered into lightly. The traditional method of calling your commodity broker to place orders and waiting for a callback to give you a filled order price is quickly coming to an end. Therefore, if you want to trade commodities online, we will cover the process of how to start.
Fundamental Analysis
Using fundamental analysis to research and trade commodities and futures. Supply and demand are the main factors to determine the price of commodities.
The Two Sugar Markets
The two sugar futures markets that are traded include world sugar #11 and U.S. sugar #16. You may be surprised to find out that the U.S. sugar price is substantially higher that the world sugar prices – sometimes twice as much. I would like to say that the U.S. produces the Rolls Royce of sugar, but all the sugar is virtually the same around the world. The discrepancy in prices is due to fat subsidies and a tariff program that supports U.S. sugar farmers.
How Much Money Do Commodity Brokers Make?
Commodity brokers are usually paid on a commission basis, which means they get paid a percentage of the commissions from the trades their clients place. Since some commodity brokers are very good and many brokers fail in the first six months, it is very difficult to give an accurate estimate of what a typical commodity broker gets paid.
Series 3 Exam
The Series 3 Exam for commodity futures broker is a 2 hour and 30 minute exam that covers knowledge on the futures markets and industry regulations. It is a test that you need to study for and we have included the key features of the series 3 exam and some helpful tips for passing the test.
What are Commodities and Futur
Learning the meaning of commodities and futures markets and how to make money trading commodities.
Day Trading Futures
What is Day Trading in the Futures Markets? There are advantages and disadvantages to day trading futures. We also list the best markets for day trading futures; including t-notes, soybeans, crude oil, japanese yen and the euro fx.
Copper Stocks
Copper mining stocks are a good way to invest in the copper market. They can be more conservative than copper futures and copper etfs. A list of the largest publicly traded copper mining stocks is included.
Buying a Call Option
The strategy of buying a call option in the futures and commodity markets. When to use this option strategy, the risks and benefits compared to buying a futures contract.
Derivatives
A derivative is a financial instrument or security that is based on the price of another asset, which is called the underlying asset. Derivatives are often highly leveraged instruments and the most commonly types are futures and options.
Commodities Taxes
How to calculate and file taxes on Commodities Trading using IRS Form 6781 – Gains and Losses From Section 1256 Contracts and Straddles.
Commodity Exchanges Still Necessary
The purpose of commodity exchanges is to provide a centralized marketplace where commodity producers (commercials) can sell their commodities to those who wish to use them for manufacturing or consumption. The beauty of a commodity futures exchange is that someone like a corn farmer can lock in a price for his crops months before they are even harvested. This process increases business survival among farmers and the exchanges always make sure there is a buyer for every seller, provided their prices meet.
Buying a Put Option
The strategy of buying a put option in the futures and commodity markets. When to use this option strategy, the risks and benefits compared to buying a futures contract.
Gas Futures
Profile of RBOB Gasoline futures including contract specs, gas fundamentals, gas reports and trading ideas for gas futures.
Why Commodity Traders Lose
Most commodity traders lose money trading commodities. We look at the top reasons why commodity traders lose money and hope to educate commodity traders how they can avoid these mistakes.
Commodity Broker Commissions
Commodity brokers charge commissions per trade to their clients. How much should you pay a commodity broker in commissions? There are also ways to negotiate your commission rates.
Live Cattle Futures
Fundamental research of live cattle futures, including contract specs, reports and tips on how to trade cattle futures in the commodity markets.
Commodity Price Movement
Learn how to research the commodities markets and tips on trading commodities and futures to learn why the markets move higher or lower.
Researching Commodities
Researching commodities is a very broad topic and there is no simple procedure that works for every commodity trader. In fact, do not expect to become an expert and sift through mounds of data when researching commodities. You just want enough information to make rational trading decisions.
Interactive Brokers Review
A review of Interactive Brokers where the focus is on the online futures broker part of their business. We are looking for low commission rates, trading platform, research and overall quality of this futures broker to report to our readers.
Commodity Investing Myths
Myths of Investing in Commodities are discussed. Many investors don't utilize commodities as an investment because of many misconceptions people have of commodities.
Online Commodities Trading
Online commodities trading has many benefits to commodity traders, but it also has many dangers to the novice trader.
Books On Day Trading Futures
There are several good books out there on day trading the commodities and futures markets. There are also many bad and misleading books that cause traders more trouble than they are worth. Below are some of the best books that I have read on day trading futures. Some of the books include a complete day trading plan, while others mainly discuss specific trading strategies.
Larry Williams
Book review of How I Made One Million Dollars Trading Commodities Last Year by Larry Williams. He discuses the strategies he used in his commodity trading as well as other helpful advice on trading commodities.
Investing In Silver Stocks
Silver mining stocks are a good way to invest in the silver market. They can be more conservative than silver futures and silver etfs. A list of the largest publicly traded silver mining stocks is included.
Commodity Broker Search
You will need to search for a commodity broker once you decide to start trading commodities. I have outlined the best places to search for commodities brokers and what to look for.
How to Open a Commodities Trading Account
Opening an account to trade commodities is probably easier than you think, but it is a major financial transaction and you can expect to fill out some paperwork and wait a couple days before you can begin trading commodities.
Crude Oil
Fundamental research of crude oil futures, including contract specs, reports and tips on how to trade crude oil in the commodity markets.
Corn
Fundamental research of corn futures, including contract specs, USDA reports and tips on how to trade corn in the commodity markets.
USDA Crop Progress Reports
The USDA releases weekly crop progress reports during the growing season on the current status of crops in the U.S. These reports reveal vital information for commodity investors as they get an unbiased view of how well crops are developing during the growing season. Commodity investors tend to focus mainly on corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton when they analyze the USDA weekly crop reports, which are released every Monday.
The Pros and Cons of Ethanol
At first glance, ethanol seems to make sense. It is a clean burning fuel and it is better for the environment than gasoline, but things aren’t always what they seem. Ethanol solves one problem but it might be creating several larger and unintended problems.
Investing In Gold Stocks
Gold mining stocks are a good way to invest in the gold market. They can be more conservative than gold futures and gold etfs. A list of the largest publicly traded gold mining stocks is included.
Review Generic Trade
Review of Online Futures Broker - Generic Trade. This is an online futures broker that offers very low rates with no contingencies. That means there are no account minimums and you don't have to make a certain amount of trades to get their stated commission rate.
Which Commodities To Trade?
One of the first steps in trading commodities is finding out which commodities you should be trading.
Follow the Commodities Trend
Trend Following is a very effective trading strategy in the commodity and futures markets.
Commodities Liquidity
Liquidity is very important to active commodity traders. The higher the volume of a futures contract on a commodity, the easier it is to get in an out of a market at the truest price – less slippage. Commodities with high volume are the often the choice for day traders and many large traders. Low volume commodity markets are often prone to wild price swings.
Stop Orders
Stop order can be used to limit losses when trading commodities or to initiate positions on momentum.
Commodity ETF
A commodity ETF is an exchange traded fund that invests in commodities through exchange traded futures contracts. The commodity ETF is a basket of commodities that is a simplified way to diversify your investment portfolio by investing in commodities.
Futures Quotes and Charts
Several online sources provide futures quotes and charts. Three of the top sources for futures quotes are discussed.
Futures Exchanges
Commodities trade on regulated futures exchanges including the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, New York Mercantile Exchange and ICE Futures US.
Technical Analysis
Technical analysis is often used among commodity traders. It is first important to understand the basics of technical analysis before trading commodities and then you can move on to more advanced technical methods.
Stop Limit Order
A stop limit order is a combination of a stop market order and a limit order. It is activated when the price touches your designated price. A stop limit to buy is placed above the market and a stop limit to sell is placed below the current market price.
Commodity Account Size
What size of account should you start with to trade commodities? They can range from $2,000 and up.
How Risky Are Commodities?
The main reason why commodities are considered risky is that commodities are traded in futures contracts and they are highly leveraged. A commodity trader normally only has to put up 5 to 20 percent of the contract value to control the commodity investment.
Gold \$10,000?
As gold has marched higher throughout the last decade, there has been no shortage of market predictions for gold prices. I remember when $1,000 once seemed like a radical prediction. Then it was $2,000. Then it was $5,000. As you might guess, $10,000 was the next magical number being predicted.
Timeframe To Learn
I often get asked - how long does it take to learn how to trade commodities? That is a tough question to answer. The short answer is that a diligent person can learn the basics of trading commodities in a couple months. The long answer is that it can take a lifetime to master.
The Short Side Of Commodities
Selling a commodity is just as simple as buying a commodity. Here is a simple explanation of why and how commodity traders can make money selling commodities.
TradeStation Review
Review of TradeStation Securities, which is an online futures broker that executes trades on futures, stocks and options.
Futures Contracts
What are the differences between commodities and a futures contract?
Continuous Commodity Index
What is the Continuous Commodity Index (CCI) and what commodities make up the index? The CCI dates back to 1957 and was formerly known as the CRB Index.
Soybeans
Fundamental research of soybean futures, including contract specs, USDA reports and tips on how to trade soybeans in the commodities markets.
How are Commodities Chosen to Trade on an Exchange
It might not make sense to many people that only a chosen few commodities trade on futures exchanges, while many other commodities do not. The basic answer is that many commodities have no major economic reason to trade on an exchange and it simply is not practical for others to be listed. Below is an explanation of why some commodities are listed on an exchange and why others don’t meet the criteria.
Silver Futures
Profile of Silver futures including contract specs, silver fundamentals, silver reports and trading ideas for silver futures.
Coffee Futures
Profile of Coffee futures including contract specs, coffee supply and demand fundamentals, and trading ideas for coffee futures.
What is an Introducing Broker
An Introducing Broker (IB) is an industry term for a commodity broker or futures broker. In essence, an introducing broker is a brokerage firm that deals directly with the client, while the trade execution and back office work is left to the Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) - commonly known as a clearing firm.
Secrets of Traders Review
Secrets of Traders by Larry Levin provides a futures trading course to help traders learn how to trade the e-mini S&P and commodities. The trading program includes a Futures Trading Manual, several DVDs, a mental trading course and one on one trading help with Larry Levin.
What are Commodities
The simplest answer to the question what are commodities is - commodities are the raw ingredients or components of almost everything we consume or use in our everyday life. Some of the most common commodities are corn, wheat, gold, silver, copper, oil, gas, cattle, sugar, coffee and cotton.
Margin Call
A margin call usually occurs when a client with a commodity trading account doesn't have sufficent funds in their account to cover the required margin to hold their positions.
Natural Gas Futures
Profile of Natural Gas futures including contract specs, natural gas supply and demand fundamentals, and trading ideas for natural gas futures.
Commodity Trading Strategies
Commodity trading strategies are simply the basis for why and when you will buy and sell commodities. You should have some well thought out strategies before you begin trading commodities.
Copper Futures
Profile of copper futures; covering copper futures contract specs, copper reports, copper fundamentals and trading ideas for copper futures.
Lean Hogs Profile
Fundamental research of lean hog futures, including contract specs, USDA reports and tips on how to trade lean hogs in the commodity markets.
Successful Commodity Broker
Learn the steps that it takes to become a successful commodity broker. You have to open accounts, trade the commodities markets and service your clients.
Commodity Trading Plan
A Trading Plan is an essential component that must be in place before you begin trading commodities. We will go over the main features of a trading plan and how to create a commodity trading plan.
Opening A Commodity Brokerage Firm
The first thing to be done is to pass the Series 3 Exam if you are not a current broker and register as an Introducing Broker with the NFA. There must be at least one Associated Person (AP, commonly called a broker) listed with the firm. If you plan on being a one-man shop, that would be you. There are fees and paperwork associated with the registration.
Gold Futures
Profile of Gold futures including contract specs, gold fundamentals, gold reports and trading ideas for gold futures.
Lumber Futures Profile
Lumber futures fundamental research including contract specs, supply and demand of lumber and trading tips on lumber futures.
Wheat Futures
Wheat futures fundamental research including contract specs, types of wheat, commodity exchanges traded and trading tips on wheat futures.
To Trade Futures Contracts or Options Contracts
Futures and options both have their pros and cons. Experienced traders often use both futures and options, depending on the situation. Some traders like to focus one or the other. It is best to fully understand the characteristics of each in order to decide how to trade commodities.
Heating Oil Futures
Profile of Heating Oil futures including contract specs, heating oil supply and demand fundamentals, and trading ideas for heating oil futures.
Commodity Trading for a Living
Trading commodities for a living is a dream for most new traders, but a dream is a far thing from reality. We will discuss some of the things you can do to prepare for a full time trading career and decide if you are prepared for such a venture.
Sugar Futures
Profile of Sugar futures including contract specs, sugar supply and demand fundamentals, and trading ideas for sugar futures.
Prospective Plantings Report
The USDA releases the Prospective Plantings report at the end of March each year. The report tells us how many acres are expected to be planted of each crop for the upcoming season.
Commodities Analysis
Weekly research and analysis of the commodities markets. A review of the week in trading and an outlook to next week for the commodity futures markets.
Orange Juice Futures
Orange juice futures fundamental research including contract specs, supply and demand of orange juice and trading tips on orange juice.
E-Mini S&P 500 Trading Course
DayTradeToWin.com offers an e-course or trading methodology for trading the e-mini s&p 500 futures contract. At The Open tends to get you into the market in the direction of the daily trend without chasing the market.
Hiring a Broker
Most new Commodity Investors will find it beneficial to hire a full service commodity broker to help with their trading education and chance to make profits.
USDA Grain Stocks Report
Read and understand the key components of the USDA grain stocks report.
The Best Time to Buy Commodities
Commodity prices tend to move higher during periods of inflation. Sometimes the economy exhibits high levels of inflation, as the late 1970’s is a prime example. Interest rates approached 18 percent to combat the high levels of inflation and commodity prices reached record highs during this period. Not all periods of inflation are this extreme, but commodities can perform well during periods of mild inflation.
Best Commodity Trading Books
Whether you are starting out trading commodities or you have been trading for a number of years, there are some books that every trader or investor should read. I have read well over 100 books on trading and investing and a few stand out as highly educational and they stand the test of time. Anyone interested in the commodity and futures markets should find these books very beneficial.
Futures Options Quotes
Futures Option Quotes is often more difficult than one might expect. Here is one online source that offers free online futures quotes on most commodity and futures markets.
Moving Averages
Moving averages are one of the most popular technical studies used in commodity and stock trading. The most commonly used technique of moving averages is for purposes of determining the trend of the market as well as finding support and resistance levels.
Paper Trading
Paper trading commodities and futures may be one of the best ways to learn how to trade without putting any money at risk. Paper trading may not be completely realsitic since no money is at risk, but paper trading is is one of the best tools to learn how to trade commodities and futures.
Where to Find Commodity Research
Looking for information to research commodities to make trading decisions is not always an easy task. Commodities are not as mainstream an investment as stocks, so you have to look a little deeper to find the latest news and research. The good news is that there is plenty of research on commodities, but you just have to know where to find it.
Trading Crude Oil Futures
Crude oil is one of the better commodities to trade. It is a very active market and it is well known with investors around the world. There is usually no shortage of news to cause the price of oil to move from day to day. This presents many good trading opportunities, whether you focus on day trading futures or you are a longer-term trader or investor.
Cotton Futures
Profile of cotton futures, including contract specs, cotton fundamentals, cotton trading ideas and cotton market reports.
Futures Margin Rates
This is the most recent listing of futures margin rates for trading commodity futures. It should be used as an example, since many futures brokers will have different futures margins and they do change with market conditions.
Commodity Brokerage Firms
There are good and bad types of commodity brokers to work for. We examine how you can determine whether you are looking at a good or bad brokerage firm.
The Future of Natural Gas
Natural gas as the fuel of the future makes sense no matter which method of analysis you use. Natural gas is one of the cleanest burning fuels and the United States has enough supply to become energy independent. It has also become one of the cheapest fuels - even cheaper than coal. So why is it not the most widely used fuel in the U.S. when the facts clearly show that that it should be our number one energy source?
Put Option
Put option definition and uses in trading commodities and futures.
Trading Commodity Spreads
Many professional commodity traders focus on trading spreads. A spread involves the simultaneous buying of one commodity and the selling of the same or similar commodity. Using spreads often cuts down on the risk of buying a straight commodity position.
Brokers Trading Commodities
Trading commodities is a major part of being a commodity broker. Online commodity trading has become increasingly popular with investors making their own decisions, but demand by new commodity investors to have someone manage their trades will never go away. Therefore, it is important to learn everything you can about the commodity markets and trading if you want to be a commodity broker.
Out-Of-The-Money Options
Buying out of the money futures options is often a risky trading strategy due to the time decay. A look at the pitfalls of buying out of the money futures options and some trading strategies you can use to improve you odds.
Stop Loss Orders
Stop loss orders are a key component to your success in trading commodities and futures. Stop losses help to limit your risk and keep you disciplined when trading.
Knowing When To Take Profits in Commodities
Many commodity traders often fall into the trap of not knowing when to take profits on their commodity trades. Sometimes they take profits too quickly and other times they hold out for a big move and their quick profit turns into a loss. Knowing when to get out of a trade can often be very difficult, but there are some easy steps to take that will help alleviate this problem.
Rough Rice Futures
Rough rice futures fundamental research including contract specs, types of rice, commodity exchanges traded and trading tips on rice futures.
Commodity Quotes and Charts
Quote and charts page for all actively traded commodity futures markets. You will find all the direct links to quotes on futures and option pages as well as charts on all commodity markets.
Online Trading Platforms
Learn about online trading platforms for commodity and futures traders. A trading platform allows commodity traders to place trades electronically from their own computer. The software program allows trades exection, account monitioring, quotes and charts, and other features for traders.
Selling Options
An explanation of selling options in the futures and commodities markets. Selling futures options is an option strategy used by many professional commodity traders.
Reading Price Charts
Book Review of Reading Price Charts Bar By Bar – The Technical Analysis Of Price Action For The Serious Trader by Al Brooks. This is an exceptional book on trading primarily of price action on the charts. Al Brooks uses only a 5 minute chart with a 20 period moving average to trade.
Come Into My Trading Room
Book review of Come Into My Trading Room - A Complete Guide to Trading by Dr. Alexander Elder. The psychology of trading is discussed as well as his Triple Screen System and the techniques he uses to trade futures and stocks.
Specializing in Trading One Commodity
Some commodity traders make a good living from focusing on trading a single commodity. There are about 30 commodities that are fairly actively traded, but it is difficult to keep up with all the commodities and trade them. Some traders like the expanded range of opportunities if they follow many commodities, but a good case can be made for specializing in one commodity.
Scale Trading Commodities
Scale trading uses a simple principle of buying low and selling high. When trading commodities, it is often difficult to figure out when a commodity is trading at a low enough price to buy, but scale trading has some fairly simple guidelines to find good buying levels.
Managed Futures Search
Managed futures are an excellent way to invest in the commodity futures markets and many academic studies confirm that managed futures help increase long-term investor returns. Where do you start and which managed futures fund is best for you?
The Commitments of Traders Bib
The Commitments of Traders Bible by Stephen Briese teaches readers how to interpret and trade the COT reports.
Cocoa Futures
Profile of Cocoa futures including contract specs, cocoa crops, cocoa supply and demand fundamentals, and trading tips for cocoa futures.
Agriculture Commodity ETFs
This is a listing and description of all the agriculture commodity exchange traded funds. The ETFs include crops and livestock. The most common agriculture products in the funds are the grains: corn, soybeans and wheat.
Hot Commodities by Jim Rogers
Book review of Hot Commodities – How Anyone Can Invest Profitably in the World’s Best Market by Jim Rogers. The author covers the basis the the new bull market in commodities and how long he expects it to last.
Oat Futures Profile
Profile of oat futures, which includes contract specifications, fundamental research and reports on oats. Oats are traded at the CME Group and they are often one of the least volatile commodities in the grain complex.
Option Short Strangle
An option short strangle is an option strategy where a trader will simultaneously short (sell) an out of the money call and an out of the money put on the same commodity with the same expiration month. A commodity trader might want to use this strategy if he or she expects a market to stay in a fairly narrow trading range until the options reach expiration.
Research Ag Commodities
The USDA is the main source commodity traders and analysts turn to when researching the agricultural commodities. The USDA periodically publishes data on the supply and demand fundamentals for commodities. These are the main reports you want to follow when researching commodities, although they do make revisions to the data. This data is void of analyst opinions and allows you to form your own views on the markets if you want to roll up your sleeves and do some research.
Reality of Commodity Brokers
Commodity brokers are expected to make money for their clients. What else should you expect from your commodity broker?
Limit Orders
Explanation of the when, how and why to use a limit order in trading commodity futures and options.
Trading Coffee Futures
Coffee is one of the more interesting commodities to trade. It is also usually one of the more volatile. Coffee is a member of the softs complex and most of these commodities are prone to wild swings in price.
Trading Commodities with RSI
Momentum indicators are widely used by commodity traders to measure when a market is overbought or oversold. For traders who live by the old adage of buying low and selling high, momentum indicators are often a critical part of their trading arsenal.
Investing in Commodities
Commodities have become a more mainstream investment class in the last decade, primarily due to the fact the commodities have performed much better than other investments. Today, investors have many new sources to invest in commodities.
Hedging in Commodities
A hedger is basically a person or company that is involved in a business related to a particular commodity. They are usually a producer of a commodity or a company that needs to purchase a commodity in the future. Either party is trying to limit their risk by hedging in the commodity markets.
Option Selling Strategy
The benefits of an option selling strategy for trading the futures and commodities markets. The odds are in your favor by selling options but you also have to control the risk.
Commodities - Buy Low and Sell High
Buying low and selling high seems like a fairly simple concept when it comes to trading commodities, but the lines can be blurry on whether the price of a commodity is low or high.
Commodity Profiles
Learning about each particular commodity is an important step before you begin trading commodities. The report includes profiles of grain, metal, energy, soft and livestock commodities.
Customer Segregated Funds
Customer segregated funds are held in seperate accounts from your broker for your protection. These funds are not to be comingled with the broker's accounts, but we recently saw a case with MF Global where regulations were broken.
Introducing Broker
Introducing Broker works with clients of commodity and futures accounts, but allows a futures Commission Merchant to handle the trading floor operations.
Commodity Or Stock Broker?
There is no doubt that the term stockbroker is much more familiar to most people than the term commodity broker. There are also about ten times more licensed stockbrokers than there are commodity brokers. Both brokers do similar jobs, but the commodity broker has a much more specialized profession.
Keys to Trading Corn Futures
Trading corn futures can be fairly subdued during the winter months, while the summer months are not for the faint of heart. Corn is planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. This growing season is when most of the action in corn prices take place. The winter months usually deal with demand and how much of the harvested crop is sold on a weekly basis. The summer months often have a barrage of weather problems that can keep corn traders on edge with every updated weather report.
Online Trading Or Gambling?
Online commodities trading is often compared to gambling. While many traders do resemble gamblers, the disciplined commodity futures traders are able to fight the urge to gamble and they have become very successful traders. Learn how you can distinguish between trading and gambling and how you can overcome gambling.
Entries and Exits
Book review of Entries and Exits - Visits to Sixteen Trading Rooms by Dr. Alexander Elder. Interviews of sixteen traders of commodities, futures, stocks and options. They discuss their trading strategies and trades, while Dr Elder analyzes their trades.
Dow Jones AIG Commodity Index
The Dow Jones - AIG Commodity Index is a diversified measure of the commodities futures markets.
Market Orders
Learn how and why to place a market order when you are trading commodity futures and options.
Commodity Trading
Commodity trading has produced superior returns over history compared to a buy and hold strategy for commodities.
Time Decay Of Futures Options
Time decay of futures options is a major factor option traders must consider before they buy a futures option contract. Time decay of options means that options theoretically lose money every day, since they have a limited life.
Commodity Seasonals
Seasonality often plays a part in determining prices for commodities in regular cycles throughout the year. Normal increases and decreases in supply and demand for particular commodities seem to occur every year in fairly consistent patterns.
Strike Price
The definition of a strike price in commodities and futures options.
How To Begin Learning About Commodities
Someone who has never invested in commodities and has little understanding of the investment opportunities available must start somewhere to begin an education on the commodity markets. Commodities are very simple by nature, but the investment process can be more complicated. The first thing to learn is to begin with the basics of what a commodity is.
Nadex Commodities Exchange
Nadex is a commodity exchange regulated by the CFTC, which trades binary options on commodities like gold, silver, oil corn and soybeans. The contract are an all or nothing outcome, similiar to a bet where you either win it all or lose it all.
Electronic Trading Versus Pit Trading
Commodity traders still have the option of using pit trading or electronic trading in several commodity markets. The ICE futures exchange has increased its presence in recent years and it is completely electronic - no pit trading. The old school thought is that pit trading is the most efficient form of price discovery, but it is hard to deny the benefits of electronic trading. So, which is better?
Long-Term Commodity Index Chart
A long-term commodity index chart is the best way to quickly see how commodity prices have moved lower and higher throughout the last several decades. A commodity chart is a good place to begin research on the commodities markets.
Secrets of a Pivot Boss
Secrets of a Pivot Boss by Franklin Ochoa gives in depth trading methodologies for trading pivot points in the futures and stock markets. This is one of the better books I've read on day trading. There are also chapters devoted to Camarilla pivots, which I found very interesting. Camarilla pivots is another form of pivots that have a different calculation than the floor pivots and it is basically a trading system in itself.
How Much of Your Portfolio Should be Invested in Commodities
Commodities have become more of a mainstream investment since the turn of the century and it makes sense to allocate more of an investment portfolio into commodities. Commodities don’t pay dividends, but they also don’t go bankrupt. Commodities help diversify an overall investment portfolio, but the allocation really depends on how you plan on investing in commodities.
Trading Futures with Options
With the combination of futures and options, a trader is able to come up with just about any type of strategy for trading a market. Utilizing options with futures usually makes a trade more conservative, but sometimes you can actually make more profits than using just one instrument.
Trading By The Book
Book review of Trading By The Book by Joe Ross. The book details trading methods for commodities and futures from the many years of trading experience of Joe Ross.
Commodities Bull Market
Commodities have been in a long term bull market due to increase world demand and tight supplies for many commodities.

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