Commodities & indices · Beginner

What Are Commodities? An Overview

A 1-minute lesson from the MarketPro academy, one of 16 in commodities and indices.

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Short answer

Commodities are raw materials or primary agricultural products that are largely interchangeable with other goods of the same type, regardless of who produced them. This makes them suitable for standardized trading, since a barrel of a given oil grade or an ounce of gold is treated the same wherever it originates.

Commodities are raw materials or primary agricultural products that are largely interchangeable with other goods of the same type, regardless of who produced them. This makes them suitable for standardized trading, since a barrel of a given oil grade or an ounce of gold is treated the same wherever it originates.

Broad Commodity Categories

  • Energy — includes crude oil, natural gas, and refined products.
  • Metals — split into precious metals like gold and silver, and industrial metals like copper.
  • Agriculture — includes grains, soft commodities like coffee or sugar, and livestock.

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Lesson 1 of 16 in Commodities and indices

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