How to Trade Commodities
The manner you choose to trade commodities depends entirely on what level of risk you are willing to take as an investor. The types of investments differ greatly and can change the way an investor sees the game. For example, an investor who is not looking for much risk, or who is not very experienced with investments, may want to buy or sell commodity options. With options, you purchase a right to buy or sell the underlying commodities for a certain period of time. It is a type of derivative instrument since the option gets its value from the underlying commodity.
Another example of how to invest in commodity markets is buying futures contracts. The market uses a futures contract to make an agreement for the buying and selling of a certain amount of a specific commodity at a set price. This price is based on the expected future price of the commodity. This example, the futures contract is only available for certain commodities, however. Some of them include oil, natural gas, and cattle or other agricultural produces as well. The risk involved is minimal; however, the possibility of losing on the projected future price is greater than if you were investing in commodity options instead.
Why Invest?
If the risk of losing money is so great no matter how you invest, why invest in the first place? Well, like any other investment, commodities have risk involved. The chance to limit that risk comes with experience and knowledge of the various markets, not to mention knowing how an investment in this market can help or hurt your portfolio. Knowing whether to make an investment in commodity stocks or commodity futures is a big step, and one that could potentially be very profitable. Of course, besides learning the basics of commodities trading, you will need a great trading platform, such as the acm forex trading platform, to make instant and seamless trades with very little or no broker intervention.