Commodities include physical assets traded on global exchanges: precious metals (gold, silver), energy (Brent and WTI crude, natural gas), industrial metals (copper, aluminum, nickel) and agriculture (wheat, corn, soybean, coffee, cocoa). They're often used as a hedge against inflation and geopolitical crises, with low or negative correlation to equities.
Gold (XAU/USD) remains the historical reference: it surpassed $4,800 per ounce in 2026 amid high sovereign debt and central bank demand (BRICS + Turkey, Poland, Singapore). Oil is pulled between global economic cycles (demand) and OPEC+ decisions (supply), with two benchmarks: Brent (Europe, North Sea) and WTI (US, West Texas Intermediate), typically spreading 2-5 USD apart.
ActuTrading Commodities covers energy catalysts (OPEC+ meetings, DOE inventories, geopolitical crises), gold/silver dynamics (central banks, US real yields), and energy-transition metals (copper, lithium, nickel) tied to decarbonization.