Natural gases are often the most traded commodities in the United States of America, Russia, Iran, Qatar, China, and Canada. While the traditional uses of gold have not changed, today it is also considered a key component in the production of electronics. This may be partially due to its versatile and multipurpose nature as it can be used for the production of soybean oil, soybean meal and other uses. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States is the leading producer and exporter of soybeans, exporting it mainly to China, the EU, Japan, Mexico and Taiwan. This type of oil is described as medium crude due to its relatively low density and sweetness due to its low sulfur content of approximately 0.34%.
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In June 2020, following the WTI Futures price crash, the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) revived trading volumes, with an average of 1,870 contracts being traded each day. The list of most traded products and goods could be based on the number of contracts traded on major Futures and Options exchanges. When considering “Commodity CFDs” for trading and price predictions, remember that trading CFDs involves a significant degree of risk and could result in capital loss. This information is provided for informative purposes only and should not be construed to be investment advice.
Contrary to what many people think, gold is not the most expensive metal to trade. For example, coffee, which is one of the most traded commodities in the world, cannot be simply picked from a plant and put into a cup. Coffee needs to go through a complicated process before the beans (whole or ground) are ready to be used in a cafe or sold in a store. As it is sold on exchanges, coffee is cleaned, dried and packaged in sacks. The price indicators on each commodity will give you a clearer picture of what factors drive the movement of CFD commodities over a particular period. This will help you make more informed trading decisions and maximise your returns.
The price of major commodities tends to correlate with inflation indicators and is heavily dependent on fundamental factors, which makes forecasting much easier. Their presence underpins all aspects of the modern global economy, from the cars we drive to the food we buy and the electricity we summon with the press of a button. But which commodities are the most important, and what is the outlook for commodity prices in 2025 according to our Consensus forecast? The top ten list below is based on trade value data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC). For the commodities exchange market to function, all producers must work to the same standard.
The Top 10 Most Traded Commodities Worldwide
Precious metals will be the exception, as elevated global economic uncertainty is likely to keep investor demand high. Platinum is a rare and valuable metal used primarily in jewelry, industrial applications, and catalytic converters for controlling vehicle emissions. South Africa dominates global production, accounting for nearly 70% of supply, with Russia and Zimbabwe also playing key roles. Looking ahead, our panelists’ platinum price forecast is for prices drifting up this year from last and continuing to trend up in subsequent years. Platinum’s role in green hydrogen production will likely be a driver, as will higher emerging-market jewelry demand.
A reliable platform usually provides its users with various modes of communication and prompt support to ensure their needs are met. The platform you will use must be licensed and regulated by regulatory commissions. Make sure to check the footer of your broker’s website, where you should find the broker’s registration number and governing regulatory body clearly displayed. FocusEconomics provide hundreds of consensus forecast reports from the most reputable economic research authorities in the world. In July 2022, 1,443,289 Cocoa Futures Contracts were traded on the ICE. In 2022 the Singapore Exchange traded 12,476,340 Iron Ore Futures Contracts, which is a massive 1,247.7 million tons.
- In July 2022, 1,756,010 Coffee Futures Contracts were traded on the ICE.
- The unit of measurement for No. 11 and No. 16 sugar contracts is pounds, while white sugar No. 407 is traded in tons.
- This benchmark, in particular, comes from the Permian Basin in the USA, and is primarily derived from Texas.
- Statistics or past performance is not a guarantee of the future performance of the particular product you are considering.
Most of the world’s natural gas is produced in the most traded commodities USA followed by Russia, Iran, Qatar, China and Canada and is widely consumed in the USA, Russia and China. Pepperstone doesn’t represent that the material provided here is accurate, current or complete, and therefore shouldn’t be relied upon as such. It does not take into account readers’ financial situation or investment objectives. Without the approval of Pepperstone, reproduction or redistribution of this information isn’t permitted.
Sugar
As with all commodity assets, the key contract is futures for several types of sugar. The most commonly traded futures are No. 11 and No. 16, representing futures contracts for the physical delivery of raw cane sugar. The unit of measurement for No. 11 and No. 16 sugar contracts is pounds, while white sugar No. 407 is traded in tons. As with wheat, soybeans are traded on commodity markets in the form of soybean futures contracts.
Demand for natural gas should continue to grow going forward as developing economies industrialize and increasingly turn to the fuel as a cleaner alternative to oil or coal. However, competition from renewables and energy efficiency improvements will still limit the upside potential for demand. Looking at prices, our panelists’ 2025 natural gas price forecast is higher across all key markets—in Asia, the EU and the U.S.— compared to the 2024 average.
- This position is often referred to as a spread, as traders essentially compare the prices of these grades and bet on the difference widening or narrowing.
- The largest gold-producing countries are Australia, China and Russia, while China and India dominate global demand due to their massive jewelry markets.
- The platform you will use must be licensed and regulated by regulatory commissions.
Such contracts can be used as a way of running a business, reducing the cost of purchasing raw materials. You can also create hedging structures in which one commodity is offset by another, which will reduce your potential risks to almost zero. The main trading platform for sugar No. 11 and No. 16 is the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in New York. Trading in white sugar No. 407 is mainly carried out on the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE).
Natural Gas
In particular, China’s booming solar and wind sectors plus slower economic growth will cap its appetite for coal. This feeds through to a softer coal price forecast in 2025 compared to 2024, with prices to continue declining in subsequent years. Lithium and cobalt are increasingly important in commodity trading due to their critical role in the production of electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy storage solutions.
Markets
However, the most popular commodities are highly liquid and suitable for intraday trading or even scalping. At present, the world’s highly sought-after commodities allow traders with any amount of capital to earn on price differences. As commodities are traded on many different exchanges around the world with varying ticker symbols and contract specifications, it’s tough to really calculate the trading volume.
On the supply side, growth is constrained by geopolitical instability in key oil-producing regions, underinvestment in new exploration projects, and tightening environmental regulations. That said, oil output will get a boost this year from the unwinding of OPEC+ cuts and higher output from the Permian Basin in the U.S. Our analysts’ Brent crude price forecast for 2025 is lower than last at around USD 75 per barrel, largely due to the aforementioned rise in supply. Agricultural commodities remain prominently in trading volumes, with wheat, soybeans, and corn leading the pack.
Geopolitical and economic factors shaping trading volumes
One of the notable developments in commodity markets this year has been the rise of emerging commodities and changes in rankings for the most traded commodities. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. However, the first place in the world in terms of trading volume is rightfully held by the arbitrage on the Brent/WTI price difference.
