
When You Trade Commodities, Forget About Stocks

By Daniel Dicker
About this article:
This is the second of a two-part series of articles trying to explain why commodities don't act like stocks and can't be understood the same way. The word "speculation" has been applied to the dynamics of oil and general commodity pricing, and when it is, the words "manipulation" and "bubble" follow them shortly after.
Let me explain why these words don't apply, and we'll have a better idea of what levels oil and other commodities can reach.
First, we need to understand that commodity pricing is no longer being arrived at by the traditional users of commodity markets. In my first article, I described the nature of price discovery and talked about how legitimate buyers and sellers find each other using exchange contracts to arrive at fundamentally correct prices for corn, wheat, oil and other commodities.
In the last few years however, speculation, particularly indexed speculation, has...

Or, call us at 1-866-321-TSCM (8726) Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. ET.
Outside the U.S. and in Canada, call 1-212-321-5200.
|
|
|

 |

If you decide to subscribe and you're not completely satisfied with TheStreet.com RealMoney, just call us within the first 30 days of your subscription and we'll refund your full annual subscription price — guaranteed.
|
|
|
|
|
If you choose a 14-day free trial of RealMoney and you do NOT call to cancel within those 14 days, you will pay $129.95 — a $100 savings off the regular annual subscription price of $229.95. Unless you cancel before the end of that year, your subscription will automatically renew for another year at the then-current subscription price.
Offer applies only to new annual subscriptions, and is subject to change at any time. Void where prohibited.
If you choose a monthly subscription, you pay $34.95 per month. You will be notified if the current monthly rate of $34.95 changes at any time in the future.
TheStreet.com is a publisher. None of the contributors or their affiliates will provide you with personally tailored advice concerning the nature, potential, value or suitability of any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, investment strategy or other matter. From time to time, any or all of the contributors or their affiliates may hold positions in securities mentioned and they may trade for their own accounts. In cases where the position is held at the time of publication, appropriate disclosure is made.
© TheStreet.com, Inc., 14 Wall Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10005.
|