On The Money: Commodity trading

By Chuck Myers, McClatchy-Tribune News Service –

What determines the price for a gallon of gas, an ounce of gold or a bushel of wheat?

In part, the commodity markets.

From precious metals and currencies to wheat, soybean and corn, traders buy and sell a wide variety of commodities.

If you’d like to understand how commodity trading works, you might visit one of these locations on the World Wide Web:

—Investopedia: Provides basic definition of a commodity and related links on futures trading. http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/commodity.asp

—Financial Web: Discusses ways investors can profit from commodities, and other related topics. http://www.finweb.com/investing/how-do-investors-usually-profit-in-the-commodity-exchange.html

—CME Group: Features a wide range of online futures trading educational information and specific products. http://www.cmegroup.com/education/product-specific/the-basics.html

—Commodity Futures Trading Commission: Offers futures markets basics and commodity trading guidelines. http://www.cftc.gov/ConsumerProtection/EducationCenter/index.htm