Está en la página 1de 14

Commodity market

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A commodity market is a market that trades in primary economic


sector rather than manufactured products. Soft commodities are
agricultural products such as wheat, coffee, cocoa and sugar. Hard
commodities are mined, such as gold and oil.[1] Investors access
about 50 major commodity markets worldwide with purely
financial transactions increasingly outnumbering physical trades in
which goods are delivered. Futures contracts are the oldest way of
investing in commodities. Futures are secured by physical assets.[2]
Commodity markets can include physical trading and derivatives
trading using spot prices, forwards, futures, and options on futures.
Farmers have used a simple form of derivative trading in the Chicago Board of Trade Futures market
commodity market for centuries for price risk management.[3]

A financial derivative is a financial instrument whose value is derived from a commodity termed an underlier.[2]
Derivatives are either exchange-traded or over-the-counter (OTC). An increasing number of derivatives are
traded via clearing houses some with Central Counterparty Clearing, which provide clearing and settlement
services on a futures exchange, as well as off-exchange in the OTC market.[4]

Derivatives such as futures contracts, Swaps (1970s-), Exchange-traded Commodities (ETC) (2003-), forward
contracts have become the primary trading instruments in commodity markets. Futures are traded on regulated
commodities exchanges. Over-the-counter (OTC) contracts are "privately negotiated bilateral contracts entered
into between the contracting parties directly".[5] [6]

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) began to feature commodities in 2003. Gold ETFs are based on "electronic gold"
that does not entail the ownership of physical bullion, with its added costs of insurance and storage in
repositories such as the London bullion market. According to the World Gold Council, ETFs allow investors to
be exposed to the gold market without the risk of price volatility associated with gold as a physical commodity.
[7][8][notes 1]

Contents
1 History
2 Commodity price index
3 Commodity index fund
4 Cash commodity
5 Call options
6 Electronic commodities trading
6.1 Complexity and interconnectedness of global market
6.2 Contracts in the commodity market
6.3 Standardization
7 Derivatives
7.1 Forward contracts
7.2 Futures contract
7.3 Swaps
7.4 Exchange-traded commodities (ETCs)
7.5 Over-the-counter (OTC) commodities derivatives
8 Commodities exchange
9 Traded commodity classes
9.1 Energy
9.2 Metals
9.3 Agriculture
9.4 Other commodity markets
10 Regulatory bodies and policies
10.1 United States
10.2 European Union
11 Trading systems
12 Educational institutions
13 See also
14 Notes
15 References
16 Further reading
17 External links

History
Commodity-based money and commodity markets in a crude early form are believed to have originated in
Sumer between 4500 BC and 4000 BC. Sumerians first used clay tokens sealed in a clay vessel, then clay
writing tablets to represent the amountfor example, the number of goats, to be delivered.[9][10] These
promises of time and date of delivery resemble futures contract.

Early civilizations variously used pigs, rare seashells, or other items as commodity money. Since that time
traders have sought ways to simplify and standardize trade contracts.

Gold and silver markets evolved in classical civilizations. At first the precious metals were valued for their
beauty and intrinsic worth and were associated with royalty. In time, they were used for trading and were
exchanged for other goods and commodities, or for payments of labor.[11] Gold, measured out, then became
money. Gold's scarcity, unique density and the way it could be easily melted, shaped, and measured made it a
natural trading asset.[12]

Beginning in the late 10th century, commodity markets grew as a mechanism for allocating goods, labor, land
and capital across Europe. Between the late 11th and the late 13th century, English urbanization, regional
specialization, expanded and improved infrastructure, the increased use of coinage and the proliferation of
markets and fairs were evidence of commercialization.[13] The spread of markets is illustrated by the 1466
installation of reliable scales in the villages of Sloten and Osdorp so villagers no longer had to travel to Haarlem
or Amsterdam to weigh their locally produced cheese and butter.[13]

Indeed, the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, often cited as the first stock exchange, originated as a market for the
exchange of commodities. Early trading on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange often involved the use of very
sophisticated contracts, including short sales, forward contracts, and options. "Trading took place at the
Amsterdam Bourse, an open aired venue, which was created as a commodity exchange in 1530 and rebuilt in
1608. Commodity exchanges themselves were a relatively recent invention, existing in only a handful of
cities."[14]

In 1864, in the United States, wheat, corn, cattle, and pigs were widely traded using standard instruments on the
Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the world's oldest futures and options exchange. Other food commodities
were added to the Commodity Exchange Act and traded through CBOT in the 1930s and 1940s, expanding the
list from grains to include rice, mill feeds, butter, eggs, Irish potatoes and soybeans.[15] Successful commodity
markets require broad consensus on product variations to make each commodity acceptable for trading, such as
the purity of gold in bullion.[16] Classical civilizations built complex global markets trading gold or silver for
spices, cloth, wood and weapons, most of which had standards of quality and timeliness.

Through the 19th century "the exchanges became effective spokesmen for, and innovators of, improvements in
transportation, warehousing, and financing, which paved the way to expanded interstate and international
trade."[17]

Reputation and clearing became central concerns, and states that could handle them most effectively developed
powerful financial centers.[18]

Commodity price index


In 1934, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics began the computation of a daily Commodity price index that
became available to the public in 1940. By 1952, the Bureau of Labor Statistics issued a Spot Market Price
Index that measured the price movements of "22 sensitive basic commodities whose markets are presumed to be
among the first to be influenced by changes in economic conditions. As such, it serves as one early indication of
impending changes in business activity."[19]

Commodity index fund


A commodity index fund is a fund whose assets are invested in financial instruments based on or linked to a
commodity index. In just about every case the index is in fact a Commodity Futures Index. The first such index
was the Commodity Research Bureau (CRB) Index, which began in 1958. Its construction made it unuseful as
an investment index. The first practically investable commodity futures index was the Goldman Sachs
Commodity Index, created in 1991,[20] and known as the "GSCI". The next was the Dow Jones AIG
Commodity Index. It differed from the GSCI primarily in the weights allocated to each commodity. The DJ AIG
had mechanisms to periodically limit the weight of any one commodity and to remove commodities whose
weights became too small. After AIG's financial problems in 2008 the Index rights were sold to UBS and it is
now known as the DJUBS index. Other commodity indices include the Reuters / CRB index (which is the old
CRB Index as re-structured in 2005) and the Rogers Index.

Cash commodity
Cash commodities or "actuals" refer to the physical goodse.g., wheat, corn, soybeans, crude oil, gold,
silverthat someone is buying/selling/trading as distinguished from derivatives.[3]

Call options
In a call option counterparties enter into a financial contract option where the buyer purchases the right but not
the obligation to buy an agreed quantity of a particular commodity or financial instrument (the underlying) from
the seller of the option at a certain time (the expiration date) for a certain price (the strike price). The seller (or
"writer") is obligated to sell the commodity or financial instrument should the buyer so decide. The buyer pays
a fee (called a premium) for this right.[21]

Electronic commodities trading


In traditional stock market exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), most trading activity
took place in the trading pits in face-to-face interactions between brokers and dealers in open outcry trading.[22]
In 1992 the Financial Information eXchange (FIX) protocol was introduced, allowing international real-time
exchange of information regarding market transactions. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ordered
U.S. stock markets to convert from the fractional system to a decimal system by April 2001. Metrification,
conversion from the imperial system of measurement to the metrical, increased throughout the 20th century.[23]
Eventually FIX-compliant interfaces were adopted globally by commodity exchanges using the FIX
Protocol.[24] In 2001 the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (later merged into the
CME group, the world's largest futures exchange company)[23] launched their FIX-compliant interface.

By 2011, the alternative trading system (ATS) of electronic trading featured computers buying and selling
without human dealer intermediation. High-frequency trading (HFT) algorithmic trading, had almost phased out
"dinosaur floor-traders".[22][notes 2]

Complexity and interconnectedness of global market

The robust growth of emerging market economies (EMEs, such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China), beginning
in the 1990s, "propelled commodity markets into a supercycle". The size and diversity of commodity markets
expanded internationally,[25] and pension funds and sovereign wealth funds started allocating more capital to
commodities, in order to diversify into an asset class with less exposure to currency depreciation.[26]

In 2012, as emerging-market economies slowed down, commodity prices peaked and started to decline. From
2005 through 2013, energy and metals' real prices remained well above their long-term averages. In 2012, real
food prices were their highest since 1982.[25]

The price of gold bullion fell dramatically on 12 April 2013 and analysts frantically sought explanations.
Rumors spread that the European Central Bank (ECB) would force Cyprus to sell its gold reserves in response
to its financial crisis. Major banks such as Goldman Sachs began immediately to short gold bullion. Investors
scrambled to liquidate their exchange-traded funds (ETFs)[notes 3] and margin call selling accelerated. George
Gero, precious metals commodities expert at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Wealth Management section
reported that he had not seen selling of gold bullion as panicked as this in his forty years in commodity
markets.[27]

The earliest commodity exchange-traded fund (ETFs), such as SPDR Gold Shares NYSE Arca: GLD
(https://www.nyse.com/quote/ARCX:GLD) and iShares Silver Trust NYSE Arca: SLV (https://www.nyse.com
/quote/ARCX:SLV), actually owned the physical commodities. Similar to these are NYSE Arca: PALL
(https://www.nyse.com/quote/ARCX:PALL) (palladium) and NYSE Arca: PPLT (https://www.nyse.com/quote
/ARCX:PPLT) (platinum). However, most Exchange Traded Commodities (ETCs) implement a futures trading
strategy. At the time Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned that Russia could sink into recession.
He argued that "We live in a dynamic, fast-developing world. It is so global and so complex that we sometimes
cannot keep up with the changes". Analysts have claimed that Russia's economy is overly dependent on
commodities. [28]

Contracts in the commodity market

A Spot contract is an agreement where delivery and payment either takes place immediately, or with a short lag.
Physical trading normally involves a visual inspection and is carried out in physical markets such as a farmers
market. Derivatives markets, on the other hand, require the existence of agreed standards so that trades can be
made without visual inspection.

Standardization

US soybean futures, for something else, are of not being standard grade if they are "GMO or a mixture of GMO
and Non-GMO No. 2 yellow soybeans of Indiana, Ohio and Michigan origin produced in the U.S.A.
(Non-screened, stored in silo)". They are of "deliverable grade" if they are "GMO or a mixture of GMO and
Non-GMO No. 2 yellow soybeans of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin origin produced in the U.S.A.
(Non-screened, stored in silo)". Note the distinction between states, and the need to clearly mention their status
as GMO (genetically modified organism) which makes them unacceptable to most organic food buyers.

Similar specifications apply for cotton, orange juice, cocoa, sugar, wheat, corn, barley, pork bellies, milk,
feed,stuffs, fruits, vegetables, other grains, other beans, hay, other livestock, meats, poultry, eggs, or any other
commodity which is so traded.

Standardization has also occurred technologically, as the use of the FIX Protocol by commodities exchanges has
allowed trade messages to be sent, received and processed in the same format as stocks or equities. This process
began in 2001 when the Chicago Mercantile Exchange launched a FIX-compliant interface that was adopted by
commodity exchanges around the world.[24]

Derivatives
Derivatives evolved from simple commodity future contracts into a diverse group of financial instruments that
apply to every kind of asset, including mortgages, insurance and many more. Futures contracts, Swaps (1970s-),
Exchange-traded Commodities (ETC) (2003-), forward contracts, etc. are examples. They can be traded through
formal exchanges or through Over-the-counter (OTC). Commodity market derivatives unlike credit default
derivatives for example, are secured by the physical assets or commodities.[2]

Forward contracts

A forward contract is an agreement between two parties to exchange at some fixed future date a given quantity
of a commodity for a price defined when the contract is finalized. The fixed price is known as the forward
price.[29] Such forward contracts began as a way of reducing pricing risk in food and agricultural product
markets, because farmers knew what price they would receive for their output.

Forward contracts for example, were used for rice in seventeenth century Japan.

Futures contract

Futures contracts are standardized forward contracts that are transacted through an exchange. In futures
contracts the buyer and the seller stipulate product, grade, quantity and location and leaving price as the only
variable.[30]

Agricultural futures contracts are the oldest, in use in the United States for more than 170 years.[31] Modern
futures agreements, began in Chicago in the 1840s, with the appearance of the railroads. Chicago, centrally
located, emerged as the hub between Midwestern farmers and east coast consumer population centers.

Swaps

A Swap is a derivative in which counterparties exchange the cash flows of one party's financial instrument for
those of the other party's financial instrument. They were introduced in the 1970s.[32][33]

Exchange-traded commodities (ETCs)

Exchange-traded commodity is a term used for commodity exchange-traded funds (which are funds) or
commodity exchange-traded notes (which are notes). These track the performance of an underlying commodity
index including total return indices based on a single commodity. They are similar to ETFs and traded and
settled exactly like stock funds. ETCs have market maker support with guaranteed liquidity, enabling investors
to easily invest in commodities.

They were introduced in 2003.

At first only professional institutional investors had access, but online exchanges opened some ETC markets to
almost anyone. ETCs were introduced partly in response to the tight supply of commodities in 2000, combined
with record low inventories and increasing demand from emerging markets such as China and India.[34]

Prior to the introduction of ETCs, by the 1990s ETFs pioneered by Barclays Global Investors (BGI)
revolutionized the mutual funds industry.[34] By the end of December 2009 BGI assets hit an all-time high of $1
trillion.[35]

Gold was the first commodity to be securitised through an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) in the early 1990s, but
it was not available for trade until 2003.[34] The idea of a Gold ETF was first officially conceptualised by
Benchmark Asset Management Company Private Ltd in India, when they filed a proposal with the Securities
and Exchange Board of India in May 2002.[36] The first gold exchange-traded fund was Gold Bullion Securities
launched on the ASX in 2003, and the first silver exchange-traded fund was iShares Silver Trust launched on
the NYSE in 2006. As of November 2010 a commodity ETF, namely SPDR Gold Shares, was the second-
largest ETF by market capitalization.[37]

Generally, commodity ETFs are index funds tracking non-security indices. Because they do not invest in
securities, commodity ETFs are not regulated as investment companies under the Investment Company Act of
1940 in the United States, although their public offering is subject to SEC review and they need an SEC
no-action letter under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. They may, however, be subject to regulation by the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission.[38][39]

The earliest commodity ETFs, such as SPDR Gold Shares NYSE Arca: GLD (https://www.nyse.com/quote
/ARCX:GLD) and iShares Silver Trust NYSE Arca: SLV (https://www.nyse.com/quote/ARCX:SLV), actually
owned the physical commodity (e.g., gold and silver bars). Similar to these are NYSE Arca: PALL
(https://www.nyse.com/quote/ARCX:PALL) (palladium) and NYSE Arca: PPLT (https://www.nyse.com/quote
/ARCX:PPLT) (platinum). However, most ETCs implement a futures trading strategy, which may produce quite
different results from owning the commodity.

Commodity ETFs trade provide exposure to an increasing range of commodities and commodity indices,
including energy, metals, softs and agriculture. Many commodity funds, such as oil roll so-called front-month
futures contracts from month to month. This provides exposure to the commodity, but subjects the investor to
risks involved in different prices along the term structure, such as a high cost to roll.[7][8]

ETCs in China and India gained in importance due to those countries' emergence as commodities consumers
and producers. China accounted for more than 60% of exchange-traded commodities in 2009, up from 40% the
previous year. The global volume of ETCs increased by a 20% in 2010, and 50% since 2008, to around 2.5
billion million contracts.

Over-the-counter (OTC) commodities derivatives

Over-the-counter (OTC) commodities derivatives trading originally involved two parties, without an exchange.
Exchange trading offers greater transparency and regulatory protections. In an OTC trade, the price is not
generally made public. OTC commodities derivatives are higher risk but may also lead to higher profits.[40]

Between 2007 and 2010, global physical exports of commodities fell by 2%, while the outstanding value of
OTC commodities derivatives declined by two-thirds as investors reduced risk following a five-fold increase in
the previous three years.

Money under management more than doubled between 2008 and 2010 to nearly $380 billion. Inflows into the
sector totaled over $60 billion in 2010, the second highest year on record, down from $72 billion the previous
year. The bulk of funds went into precious metals and energy products. The growth in prices of many
commodities in 2010 contributed to the increase in the value of commodities funds under management.[41]

Commodities exchange
A commodities exchange is an exchange where various commodities and derivatives are traded. Most
commodity markets across the world trade in agricultural products and other raw materials (like wheat, barley,
sugar, maize, cotton, cocoa, coffee, milk products, pork bellies, oil, metals, etc.) and contracts based on them.
These contracts can include spot prices, forwards, futures and options on futures. Other sophisticated products
may include interest rates, environmental instruments, swaps, or freight contracts.[3]

Largest commodities exchanges


Exchange Country Volume per month $M
CME Group USA $268,000,000[42]
Tokyo Commodity Exchange Japan -
Euronext France, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, UK -
Dalian Commodity Exchange China -
Multi Commodity Exchange India -
Intercontinental Exchange USA, Canada, China, UK -
Africa Mercantile Exchange Kenya, Africa -
Uzbek Commodity Exchange Tashkent, Uzbekistan -
Abuja Securities and Dubai Mercantile Exchange Multi Commodity Exchange
Commodities Exchange Dubai Gold & Commodities National Commodity and
Africa Mercantile Exchange Exchange Derivatives Exchange
Bhatinda Om & Oil Euronext.liffe National Multi-Commodity
Exchange Bathinda Ethiopia Commodity Exchange of India Ltd
Brazilian Mercantile and Exchange National Food Exchange
Futures Exchange Hong Kong Mercantile National Spot Exchange
Chicago Board of Trade Exchange New York Mercantile
Chicago Mercantile Indian Commodity Exchange Exchange
Exchange Intercontinental Exchange New York Board of Trade
Commodity Exchange Iranian Oil Bourse Rosario Board of Trade
Bratislava, JSC Kansas City Board of Trade Tokyo Commodity Exchange
Dalian Commodity London Metal Exchange Winnipeg Commodity
Exchange Minneapolis Grain Exchange Exchange

Traded commodity classes


Top traded commodities
Rank Commodity Value in US$ ('000) Date of
information
1 Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products, etc. $2,183,079,941 2012
2 Electrical, electronic equipment $1,833,534,414 2012
3 Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers, etc. $1,763,371,813 2012
4 Vehicles other than railway, tramway $1,076,830,856 2012
5 Plastics and articles thereof $470,226,676 2012
6 Optical, photo, technical, medical, etc. apparatus $465,101,524 2012
7 Pharmaceutical products $443,596,577 2012
8 Iron and steel $379,113,147 2012
9 Organic chemicals $377,462,088 2012
10 Pearls, precious stones, metals, coins, etc. $348,155,369 2012

Source: International Trade Centre[43]

Energy

Energy commodities include crude oil particularly West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil and Brent crude oil,
natural gas, heating oil, ethanol and purified terephthalic acid. Hedging is a common practice for these
commodities.

Crude oil and natural gas

For many years, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil, a light, sweet crude oil, was the worlds most-traded
commodity. WTI is a grade used as a benchmark in oil pricing. It is the underlying commodity of Chicago
Mercantile Exchange's oil futures contracts. WTI is often referenced in news reports on oil prices, alongside
Brent Crude. WTI is lighter and sweeter than Brent and considerably lighter and sweeter than Dubai or
Oman.[44]

From April through October 2012, Brent futures contracts exceeded those for WTI, the longest streak since at
least 1995.[45]

Crude oil can be light or heavy. Oil was the first form of energy to be widely traded. Some commodity market
speculation is directly related to the stability of certain states, e.g., Iraq, Bahrain, Iran, Venezuela and many
others. Most commodities markets are not so tied to the politics of volatile regions.

Oil and gasoline are traded in units of 1,000 barrels (42,000 US gallons). WTI crude oil is traded through
NYMEX under trading symbol CL and through Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) under trading symbol WTI.
Brent crude oil is traded in through Intercontinental Exchange under trading symbol B. Gulf Coast Gasoline is
traded through NYMEX with the trading symbol of LR. Gasoline (reformulated gasoline blendstock for oxygen
blending or RBOB) is traded through NYMEX via trading symbol RB. Propane is traded through NYMEX, a
subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange since early 2013, via trading symbol PN.

Natural gas is traded through NYMEX in units of 10,000 mmBTU with the trading symbol of NG. Heating oil
is traded through NYMEX under trading symbol HO.

Others

Purified terephthalic acid (PTA) is traded through ZCE in units of 5 tons with the trading symbol of TA. Ethanol
is traded at CBOT in units of 29,000 U.S. gal under trading symbols AC (Open Auction) and ZE (Electronic).

Metals

Precious metals

Precious metals currently traded on the commodity market include gold, platinum, palladium and silver which
are sold by the troy ounce. One of the main exchanges for these precious metals is COMEX.

According to the World Gold Council, investments in gold are the primary driver of industry growth. Gold
prices are highly volatile, driven by large flows of speculative money.[46]

Industrial metals

Industrial metals are sold by the metric ton through the London Metal Exchange and New York Mercantile
Exchange. The London Metal Exchange trades include copper, aluminium, lead, tin, aluminium alloy, nickel,
cobalt and molybdenum. In 2007, steel began trading on the London Metal Exchange.

Iron ore has been the latest addition to industrial metal derivatives. Deutsche Bank first began offering iron ore
swaps in 2008, other banks quickly followed. Since then the size of the market has more than doubled each year
between 2008 and 2012.[47]

Agriculture

Agricultural commodities include grains, food and fiber as well as livestock and meat, various regulatory bodies
define agricultural products.[48]

On 21 July 2010, United States Congress passed the DoddFrank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection
Act with changes to the definition of agricultural commodity. The operational definition used by Dodd-Frank
includes "[a]ll other commodities that are, or once were, or are derived from, living organisms, including plant,
animal and aquatic life, which are generally fungible, within their respective classes, and are used primarily for
human food, shelter, animal feed, or natural fiber. Three other categories were explained and listed.[49]

In February 2013, Cornell Law School included lumber, soybeans, oilseeds, livestock (live cattle and hogs),
dairy products. Agricultural commodities can include lumber (timber and forests), grains excluding stored grain
(wheat, oats, barley, rye, grain sorghum, cotton, flax, forage, tame hay, native grass), vegetables (potatoes,
tomatoes, sweet corn, dry beans, dry peas, freezing and canning peas), fruit (citrus such as oranges, apples,
grapes) corn, tobacco, rice, peanuts, sugar beets, sugar cane, sunflowers, raisins, nursery crops, nuts, soybean
complex, aquacultural fish farm species such as finfish, mollusk, crustacean, aquatic invertebrate, amphibian,
reptile, or plant life cultivated in aquatic plant farms.[50] [51]

In 1900, corn acreage was double that of wheat in the United States. But from the 1930s through the 1970s
soybean acreage surpassed corn. Early in the 1970s grain and soybean prices, which had been relatively stable,
"soared to levels that were unimaginable at the time." There were a number of factors affecting prices including
the "surge in crude oil prices caused by the Arab Oil Embargo in October 1973 (US inflation reached 11% in
1975)."[52]

Diamonds

As of 2012, diamond was not traded as a commodity. Institutional investors were repelled by campaign against
"blood diamonds", the monopoly structure of the diamond market and the lack of uniform standards for
diamond pricing. In 2012 the SEC reviewed a proposal to create the "first diamond-backed exchange-traded
fund" that would trade on-line in units of one-carat diamonds with a storage vault and delivery point in
Antwerp, home of the Antwerp Diamond Bourse. The exchange fund was backed by a company based in New
York City called IndexIQ. IndexIQ had already introduced 14 exchange-traded funds since 2008.[46][53][notes 4]

According to Citigroup analysts, the annual production of polished diamonds is about $18 billion. Like gold,
diamonds are easily authenticated and durable. Diamond prices have been more stable than the metals, as the
global diamond monopoly De Beers once held almost 90% (by 2013 reduced to 40%) of the new diamond
market.[46]

Other commodity markets

Rubber trades on the Singapore Commodity Exchange in units of 1 kg priced in US cents. Palm oil is traded on
the Malaysian Ringgit (RM), Bursa Malaysia in units of 1 kg priced in US cents. Wool is traded on the AUD in
units of 1 kg. Polypropylene and Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LL) did trade on the London Metal
Exchange in units of 1,000 kg priced in USD but was dropped in 2011.

Regulatory bodies and policies


United States

In the United States, the principal regulator of commodity and futures markets is the Commodity Futures
Trading Commission (CFTC). The National Futures Association (NFA) was formed in 1976 and is the futures
industry's self-regulatory organization. The NFA's first regulatory operations began in 1982 and fall under the
Commodity Exchange Act of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Act.[54]

Dodd-Frank was enacted in response to the 2008 financial crisis. It called for "strong measures to limit
speculation in agricultural commodities" calling upon the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to
further limit positions and to regulate over-the-counter trades.[55]

European Union

Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) is the cornerstone of the European Commission's Financial
Services Action Plan that regulate operations of the EU financial service markets. It was reviewed in 2012 by
the European Parliament (EP) and the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN).[56] The European
Parliament adopted a revised version of Mifid II on 26 October 2012 which include "provisions for position
limits on commodity derivatives", aimed at "preventing market abuse" and supporting "orderly pricing and
settlement conditions".[57]

The European Securities and Markets Authority (Esma), based in Paris and formed in 2011, is an "EU-wide
financial markets watchdog". Esma sets position limits on commodity derivatives as described in Mifid II.[57]

The EP voted in favor of stronger regulation of commodity derivative markets in September 2012 to "end
abusive speculation in commodity markets" that were "driving global food prices increases and price volatility".
In July 2012, "food prices globally soared by 10 percent" (World Bank 2012). Senior British MEP Arlene
McCarthy called for "putting a brake on excessive food speculation and speculating giants profiting from
hunger" ending immoral practices that "only serve the interests of profiteers".[58] In March 2012, EP Member
Markus Ferber suggested amendments to the European Commission's proposals, intended to strengthen
restrictions on high-frequency trading and commodity price manipulation.[59]

Trading systems
Software for managing trading systems has been available for several decades in various configurations. This
includes software as a service. So-called Energy Trading Risk Management (ETRM) includes software such as
Triple Point Technology, Sol Arc, Open Link and Gibbon. One of the more popular soft commodity solutions is
called Just Commodity, based in Singapore this application caters to a large number of palm oil, edible oil,
sugar and wheat trading businesses.

Educational institutions
Commodities trading is usually learned on the job. Typical path of physical commodity trader leads from
apprenticeship through traffic department (where prospective trader learns on logistics - a key driver in price
determination) to a trading desk.

There are attempts to teach physical commodities trading outside of the job. They are actively supported by the
sector lacking candidates prepared to enter the workforce.

To the most recognized belong: University of Geneva (https://www.unige.ch/gsem/index.php?cID=608) and


Commodities Academy (http://commoditiesacademy.org) in London.
See also
List of commodity booms

Notes
1. This article covers physical product (food, metals, energy) markets but not the ways that services, including those of
governments, nor investment, nor debt, can be seen as a commodity. Articles on reinsurance markets, stock markets,
bond markets, and currency markets cover those concerns separately and in more depth.
2. In July 2009, when a high-frequency trading platform with proprietary algorithmic trading code used by Goldman
Sachs to allegedly generate massive profits in the commodity market was stolen by Sergey Aleynikov there was
widespread concern about the unintended economic consequences of HFT.
3. Exchange Traded Funds revolutionized the mutual funds industry when they were introduced. Exchange Traded
Commodities, sold first by pioneering investors group Barclays Global Investors (BGI) (now owned by BlackRock)
revolutionized the commodity market. By the end of December 2009 Barclays Global Investors (BGI) assets hit an
all-time high of $1 trillion ($1,032 billion).
4. IndexIQ registered Adam S. Patti as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and David Fogel as Chief Financial Officer and
Executive Vice President in the City of Rye Brook, New York, on 31 January 2013 as representatives of IndexIQ
Advisors LLC sponsoring the IQ Physical Diamond Trust.

References
1. "Soft Commodity Definition". Investopedia. 15 12. http://www.onlygold.com/tutorialpages/historyfs.htm
February 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2012. Early history of gold and how it became used as
2. O'Harrow, Robert (21 April 2010). "A primer on money.
financial derivatives". Washington Post. 13. Dijkman, Jessica Elisabeth Catharina (18 June 2010).
3. "Opportunities and Risk: an Educational Guide to "Medieval market institutions: The organisation of
Trading Futures and Options on Futures" (PDF). commodity markets in Holland, c. 1200 c. 1450"
Chicago, Illinois: National Futures Association. 2006. (PDF). pp. 12.
p. 6. 14. Stringham, Edward (2003). "The Extralegal
4. http://chicagofed.org/webpages/publications Development of Securities Trading in Seventeenth
/understanding_derivatives/index.cfm Century Amsterdam". Quarterly Review of
5. "The Regulation of Derivatives in Canada". Expert Economics and Finance. 43 (2): 321. SSRN 1676251
Panel. 2007. .
6. Loder, Asjylyn (18 July 2010). "Commodity 15. "History of the CFTC: U.S. Futures Trading and
Manipulation May Be Easier to Prove After Regulation Before the Creation of the CFTC". U.S.
Overhaul". Bloomberg. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
7. Bytom Lauricella (2 November 2009). "Gold Mutual 16. "Variations of commodities in trading". GOptions
Funds Vs. Gold ETFs: It Depends on the Goal". Wall Trading. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
Street Journal. Retrieved 3 October 2011. 17. US Commodity Futures Trading Handbook Volume 1
8. "The Future of Commodity ETFs". Morningstar. 25 Strategic Information and Regulations.
August 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2011. ISBN 1577516095.
9. Banerjee, Jasodhara (16 January 2013). "Origins of 18. Markham, Jerry W. (1987). The History of
Growing Money". India: Forbes India Magazine. Commodity Futures Trading and Its Regulation.
10. Sinha, Ram Pratap; Bhuniya, Ashis (7 January 2011). Praeger. p. 305.
"Risk Transfer Through Commodity Derivatives: A 19. "CRB BLS Spot Indices". Encyclopedia of
Study of Soyabean Oil". Social Science Research Commodity and Financial Prices: Grains and
Network (SSRN). SSRN 1736406 . Oilseeds. Commodity Research Bureau (CRB). 2006.
11. http://commodityhq.com/2012/a-brief-2000-year- 20. "The Food Bubble", Frederick Kaufman, Harper's,
history-of-silver-prices/ 2010 July
21. O'Sullivan, Arthur; Sheffrin, Steven M. (2003). 38. Michael Sackheim, Michael Schmidtberger & James
Economics: Principles in Action. Upper Saddle River, Munsell, DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund: An
NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 288. Innovative Exchange-Traded Fund, Futures Industry
ISBN 0-13-063085-3. (May/June 2006).
22. McGowan, Michael (2011). "The rise of 39. Koyfman, Yevgeniy (21 August 2009). "No Gas:
computerized high frequency trading: use and Barclays Halts Issuance of Natural Gas ETN". Index
controversy". Duke Law & Technology Review. universe.com. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
23. Johnson, David. "Stock Market Goes Decimal: 40. Jon Gregory. Counterparty credit risk. ISBN
Complicated fractions abandoned in favor of 978-0-470-68576-1. p. 7.
pennies". 41. Commodities Trading report
24. Malabre, Fred; Mendelson, Don (15 December 2011). (http://www.thecityuk.com/assets/Uploads
"Commodities Trading with FIX". CME Group. /Commodities-Trading-2011.pdf)
25. Lane (Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada), 42. "Web Volume Report CMEG" (PDF).
Timothy (25 September 2012). "Financing 43. "Trade statistics for international business
Commodities Markets presented to the CFA Society development". Trade Map. 20 September 2013.
of Calgary". Calgary, Alberta. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
26. Firzli, M. Nicolas; Bazi, Vincent (2011). 44. Marius Vassiliou (2009). Historical Dictionary of the
"Infrastructure Investments in an Age of Austerity: Petroleum Industry. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
The Pension and Sovereign Funds Perspective". ISBN 0-8108-5993-9.
Revue Analyse Financire, volume 41. Archived from 45. Smith, Grant (26 November 2012). "Brent Poised to
the original on 17 September 2011. Depose WTI as Most-Traded Oil Futures".
27. Fontevecchia, Agustino (15 April 2013). "Violent Bloomberg.
And Panicky Gold Selling Collapse Bullion And 46. Popper, Nathanial (13 April 2012). "Diamonds as a
Commodity Markets". Forbes. Commodity". The New York Times.
28. Gorst, Isabel (17 April 2013). "Russia and less than 47. "The Importance of Iron Ore Derivatives - The
$100 oil". Financial Times Blog. Retrieved 17 April International Resource Journal".
2013. www.internationalresourcejournal.com. Retrieved
29. "Example of forward prices for EUR/USD". 2016-09-06.
Investing.com. Retrieved 16 March 2017. 48. See the Futures Trading Act of 1921, Declared
30. Garner, Carley. A Trader's First Book on unconstitutional in Hill v. Wallace 259 U.S. 44
Commodities. (New Jersey: FT Press, 2010): pg 19. (1922), the Grain Futures Act of 1922 and Board of
31. Futures Trading Act of 1921, Declared Trade of City of Chicago v. Olsen 262 US 1 (1923).
unconstitutional in Hill v. Wallace 259 U.S. 44 49. "Final Rule Regarding the Definition of Agricultural
(1922), the Grain Futures Act of 1922 and Board of Commodity" (PDF). Commodity Futures Trading
Trade of City of Chicago v. Olsen 262 U.S. 1 (1923). Commission Office of Public Affairs. 21 July 2010.
32. William D. Coleman (2003). Governing Global 50. "Definition of Agricultural Commodities". Law at
Finance: Financial derivatives, liberal states, and Cornell. Cornell University. February 2013.
transformative capacity (PDF). GHC Working Paper 51. Brown, Veronica (15 April 2013). "Gold set for worst
01/2. two-day loss since 1983". Reuters.
33. Dennis W. Carlton (1984). "Futures Markets: Their 52. "Encyclopedia of Commodity and Financial Prices:
Purpose, Their History, Their Growth, Their Grains and Oilseeds" (PDF). Commodity Research
Successes and Failures". Journal of Futures Markets. Bureau (CRB). pp. 172187.
4 (3): 23771. doi:10.1002/fut.3990040302. 53. "IQ Physical Diamond Trust". 5 February 2013.
34. Bienkowski, Nik. "Exchange Traded Commodities 54. "National Futures Association". National Futures
Led by Gold, ETCs Opened the World of Association.
Commodities to Investors" (PDF). Alchemist. The 55. Clapp, Jennifer (5 December 2012). "Position Limits
London Bullion Market Association (48). for Agricultural Commodity Derivatives: Getting
35. Opalesque (14 January 2010). "Black Rock's global Tougher or Tough to Get?". Triple Crisis.
ETF's hit an all time high of $1tln". 56. Henn, Markus (October 2012). "European Parliament
36. "Benchmark Asset Management Company decides to tackle commodity speculation: a little bit".
conceptualises Gold ETF". Etfglobalinvestor.net. Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations
Retrieved 3 October 2011. (SOMO) (14).
37. "Largest ETFs: Top 25 ETFs By Market Cap". 57. Maroo, Jay (13 November 2012). "Commodity
ETFdb. Retrieved 3 November 2010. position limits cause Mifid II confusion". Energy
Risk.
58. Banks, Martin (27 September 2012). "EU parliament 59. Reeve, Nick (29 March 2012). "Mifid amendment
approves moves to end 'abusive' speculation in calls for commission ban to be scrapped". Financial
commodity markets". European Parliament. Times.

Further reading
Understanding Derivatives: Markets and Infrastructure (http://chicagofed.org/webpages/publications
/understanding_derivatives/index.cfm:) Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Financial Markets Group
"Opportunities and Risk: an Educational Guide to Trading Futures and Options on Futures" (PDF).
Chicago, Illinois: National Futures Association. 2006. p. 48.
Markham, Jerry W. (1987). The History of Commodity Futures Trading and Its Regulation. Praeger.
p. 305.
Longstreth, Andrew (26 May 2011). Alden Bentley, editor, ed. "CFTC faces high hurdles in oil
manipulation case". Reuters.

External links
Open Historical Commodity Price Data (http://www.quandl.com/markets/global-commodity-markets)
5 Mistakes of Commodity Trading (https://www.cannontrading.com/tools/support-resistance-levels
/5-mistakes-of-commodity-trading-futures-levels-economic-reports-12-05-2013/)
Commodity Tips (http://www.commoditytips.com/)
Guide to Investing in Commodities (http://financialcareeroptions.com/investing-in-commodities/)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Commodity_market&oldid=776687401"

Categories: Commodity markets Derivatives (finance) Financial markets International trade


United States federal commodity and futures legislation

This page was last edited on 22 April 2017, at 16:49.


Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

También podría gustarte