Commodities Economics

Learn about commodities with iMinds Money's insightful fast-knowledge series. A commodity is a tradeable item, which can usually be processed further and sold. This includes industrial goods such as metals; agricultural goods like wheat, wool or sugar; and bulk goods such as iron ore or coal. In their original and simplified sense commodities are uniform in value, meaning it is irrelevant who produces the commodity, as its value will remain the same.

Whether you are involved in commodities trading or investing or simply - like the rest of us - consume them on a daily basis, this guide to commodities book should have something for you. Peter Sainsbury, economist, commodity investor, and blogger at Materials Risk, introduces and explains the essential things you really need to know about commodities in a series of 50 accessible and engaging essays.

Discover how you can make money from cryptocurrency - even if you're a complete novice.

In The Futures, Emily Lambert, senior writer at Forbes magazine, tells us the rich and dramatic history of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board of Trade, which together comprised the original, most bustling futures market in the world. She details the emergence of the futures business as a kind of meeting place for gamblers and farmers and its subsequent transformation into a sophisticated electronic market where contracts are traded at lightning-fast speeds.

They were a band of outsiders unable to get jobs with New York's gilded financial establishment. They would go on to corner the world's multitrillion-dollar oil market, reaping unimaginable riches while bringing the economy to its knees. Meet the self-anointed kings of the New York Mercantile Exchange. In some ways, they are everything you would expect them to be: a secretive, members-only club of men and women who live lavish lifestyles; cavort with politicians, strippers, and celebrities; and blissfully jacked up oil prices to nearly $150 a barrel while profiting off the misery of the working class.

Before Columbus's fateful voyage in 1492, no European had ever seen, much less tasted, tobacco or chocolate. Initially dismissed as dry leaves and an odd Indian drink, these two commodities came to conquer Europe on a scale unsurpassed by any other American resource or product. A fascinating story of contact, exploration, and exchange in the Atlantic world, Sacred Gifts, Profane Pleasures traces the ways in which these two goods of the Americas both changed and were changed by Europe.

Want to crack the code of commodity futures markets? Back to the Futures provides a unique and educational perspective on the world of commodity futures markets, shaped by the personal experiences and professional insights of Dr. Scott Irwin, a leading expert in the field.

The twenty-first century began optimistically in Latin America. Left-leaning leaders armed with programs to reduce poverty and reclaim national wealth were seeing results—but as the aughts gave way to the teens, they began to fall like dominos. Where did the dreams of this "pink tide" go? Look no further than the original culprits of Latin American disenfranchisement: resource-rich land and unscrupulous extraction.

Since 2007, farm-product prices have rocketed and plunged, causing hunger, malnutrition, and social and political upheaval around the world. Endless Appetites explores how "food security", the availability of food, and the reasonable ability to buy it, has become one of the most challenging topics of our time. With every jump in grocery-store prices, the issue becomes more and more pressing.

In Crude Forecasts: Predictions, Pundits, and Profits in the Commodity Casino, Peter Sainsbury, economist, commodity investor and blogger at Materials Risk, shows how you can take back control.

Note: This is a Beginner's Basic Guide to Investing in Gold and Silver. Knowledge is power, and nowhere does this hold more truth than in investing. Clearly, investing in silver and gold will help protect your assets in the event of a currency collapse. While many people claim this can't happen, there are just as many signs pointing to it as a serious possibility.

Silver is probably the most undervalued asset in the history of the world today, but not for long. In this audiobook I attempt to build a case for investing in silver now.

Based upon the fundamentals and the eventual return of normalcy in the markets, silver should yield fantastic returns for those souls who can go against the grain of current thought. The fundamentals for silver are very, very favorable, but not if you listen to the talking heads in the mainstream media. Do yourself a favor and get the facts before dismissing silver as a dead relic of the past.