Originally published in 1987, this book discusses the key issues concerned with primary commodity trade worldwide. Primary commodities are crucially important for many developing countries because very often exports in just one or two primary commodities form the sole source of income for a developing country. Developing countries need above all stability in primary commodities trade to guarantee their future development. This book examines patterns of trade, changing demand and the effects of fluctuations in spot and futures markets. It analyses theories put forward to explain the problems and it reviews the research of the many international organisations which are concerned with the problems. It examines the international agreements and bodies which have been set up to stabilise trade and assesses the performance of these agreements and organisations.

Very few books published so far have touched upon commodity finance and fewer still have provided a systematic explanation and analysis of the subject. It is however a subject that is relevant throughout almost every corner of the world. From food to gold, commodities are ubiquitous. In this book, Dr. W. Huang, a practitioner and a trainer, covers commodities, commodity markets, commodity trade and the finance of commodity trade. As such, practitioners such as bankers and traders in commodity finance, and those institutions operating in this field, or planning to be active in this field, will all benefit from this book. This revised and updated second edition is a hands-on summary of commodity finance, with a special chapter dedicated to real-life case studies of commodity finance. Topics covered include: – High-level overview of commodity trade and finance. – The three major sectors of commodity finance: soft commodities, hard commodities and energy – Commodity finance and emerging markets, as most commodity export countries are emerging markets countries. – The special mechanisms and products of commodity finance, from plain vanilla products to more complicated structures. The concept of Supply Chain Finance is also covered in detail. – Bank and country risk. – Risk management principles, with practical case studies. – The organization of a typical commodity finance bank. The key benefits of the book are: For bankers – how to do business and what risks should be watched for? For traders, brokers and institutional investors – how commodity finance is done and what bank instruments can be used. For students – how is commodity finance handled and developed by banks? Each chapter can be read independently. The content has been reviewed by both experts and newcomers, incorporating their comments on style and content, to ensure it is as useful and clear as possible.

Financial Modelling in Commodity Markets provides a basic and self-contained introduction to the ideas underpinning financial modelling of products in commodity markets. The book offers a concise and operational vision of the main models used to represent, assess and simulate real assets and financial positions related to the commodity markets. It discusses statistical and mathematical tools important for estimating, implementing and calibrating quantitative models used for pricing and trading commodity-linked products and for managing basic and complex portfolio risks. Key features: Provides a step-by-step guide to the construction of pricing models, and for the applications of such models for the analysis of real data Written for scholars from a wide range of scientific fields, including economics and finance, mathematics, engineering and statistics, as well as for practitioners Illustrates some important pricing models using real data sets that will be commonly used in financial markets

An addition to the Almanac suite of products, this volume provides vital information and analysis for commodity traders, allerting them to little-known market patterns and tendencies that help them forecast trends with accuracy and confidence.

Straightforward and accessible, Commodity Investing balances academic-quality analysis with clear, compelling prose, and provides those interested in this fast-growing field with unparalleled investment insights. Page by page, you’ll acquire a deeper understanding of this discipline and discover how to make more informed decisions when investing in such a dynamic environment. With this book as your guide, you’ll benefit from the lessons of experienced practitioners and quickly come to grips with what it takes to make it in today’s commodity market.

Handbook of Multi-Commodity Markets and ProductsOver recent decades, the marketplace has seen an increasing integration, not only among different types of commodity markets such as energy, agricultural, and metals, but also with financial markets. This trend raises important questions about how to identify and analyse opportunities in and manage risks of commodity products. The Handbook of Multi-Commodity Markets and Products offers traders, commodity brokers, and other professionals a practical and comprehensive manual that covers market structure and functioning, as well as the practice of trading across a wide range of commodity markets and products. Written in non-technical language, this important resource includes the information needed to begin to master the complexities of and to operate successfully in today’s challenging and fluctuating commodity marketplace. Designed as a practical practitioner-orientated resource, the book includes a detailed overview of key markets – oil, coal, electricity, emissions, weather, industrial metals, freight, agricultural and foreign exchange – and contains a set of tools for analysing, pricing and managing risk for the individual markets. Market features and the main functioning rules of the markets in question are presented, along with the structure of basic financial products and standardised deals. A range of vital topics such as stochastic and econometric modelling, market structure analysis, contract engineering, as well as risk assessment and management are presented and discussed in detail with illustrative examples to commodity markets. The authors showcase how to structure and manage both simple and more complex multi-commodity deals. Addressing the issues of profit-making and risk management, the book reveals how to exploit pay-off profiles and trading strategies on a diversified set of commodity prices. In addition, the book explores how to price energy products and other commodities belonging to markets segmented across specific structural features. The Handbook of Multi-Commodity Markets and Products includes a wealth of proven methods and useful models that can be selected and developed in order to make appropriate estimations of the future evolution of prices and appropriate valuations of products. The authors additionally explore market risk issues and what measures of risk should be adopted for the purpose of accurately assessing exposure from multi-commodity portfolios. This vital resource offers the models, tools, strategies and general information commodity brokers and other professionals need to succeed in today’s highly competitive marketplace.