On the supply side, climate change poses risks to future production, with droughts and extreme weather increasingly impacting yields in the Americas. That said, solid demand for plant-based proteins and biofuels should provide support. Aluminum is widely used across industries, from aerospace and automotive manufacturing to construction and packaging.
The metal is also crucial for the green energy transition, as it is used in solar panels, electric vehicles and power lines. China is the dominant consumer and producer, refining more than half of the world’s aluminum, while Australia and Guinea supply much of the raw bauxite needed for production. Volatile energy costs are a concern for the industry, as aluminum smelting is extremely energy-intensive; the smelting industry’s carbon footprint is an additional concern. Regarding the latter, hydrogen has been touted as a potential alternative to natural gas in the aluminum production process. The highest traded commodity – crude oil 0 will likely retain its dominance for a while yet, but the most traded commodities in the world stretch beyond energy, and into agriculture, and metals.
Coffee: Most Traded Commodity
Notably, sugar futures are often traded in national currencies, and trading in dollars only takes place on the ICE. The key marketplace for trading coffee bean futures is the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in the US, where Arabica contracts are traded. Robusta is traded mainly on the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE). Futures for both types of coffee are traded on the Tokyo Grain Exchange (TGE). Commodity trading plays a crucial role in the world trade system, as there will always be demand for these commodities, and this demand is growing every year. These commodities also represent a significant part of the global manufacturing industry, and the stability of the global economy would be impossible without them.
Commodity trading on exchanges, in essence, revolves around long-term investment strategies. However, the most popular commodities are highly liquid and suitable for intraday trading or even scalping. At present, the world’s highly sought-after commodities allow traders with any amount of capital to earn on price differences. The most popular commodities include energy, industrial, and agricultural products, as well as metals. You can learn more about how to trade commodities in the live market in this article.
Soybeans: Best Agricultural Commodity to Trade
- When the volume of these purchases begins to grow, gold also tends to surge in price.
- Like other commodity instruments, corn is traded on exchanges in the form of futures, which involve both physical delivery and non-delivery.
- The ever-growing demand for natural gas worldwide has led to its increasing popularity as an exchange-traded investment vehicle.
- While there are many types of energy commodities available to trade, it’s the black gold which is traded the most.
Commodity assets are a class of trading instruments based on raw materials or food products. The main difference between a commodity asset and a currency asset is that the former represents a physical and tangible raw material. In the US alone, the retail coffee industry is worth $18 billion annually. The enormous global demand makes coffee one of the most traded commodities in the world.
By separating signal from noise, we helped traders avoid chasing unsustainable rallies in the largest commodity in the world. Gold is valued as a so-called ‘safe haven’ asset, and tends to shine in times of economic uncertainty – though this doesn’t mean that its price is invulnerable to selloffs. Discover which are the highest-traded commodities by our clients, and decide whether any fit your CFD trading strategy. The most traded commodities for decades have been firmly established as the biggest markets, most liquid and commonly traded worldwide.
So when you’re deciding the best commodity to trade, think about your goals and strategy – and always be sure to research the market thoroughly. For privacy and data protection related complaints please contact us at Please read our PRIVACY POLICY STATEMENT for more information on handling of personal data. Statistics or past performance is not a guarantee of the future performance of the particular product you are considering.
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However, it is the no-delivery soybean contracts that are most popular with investors and speculators. The fact is that the market volatility of trading these contracts is so high that it sometimes rivals that of currency pairs, which attracts many retail traders. Similar to wheat, soybeans are traded in bushels, which equals 25.4 kilograms, and a standard contract is 5,000 bushels.
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Here is a list of the 11 most actively traded commodities in the world by volume. Data is based on commodity futures tracked by CNBC (and LME for aluminium) as of March 31, 2025. Using CFDs, you can trade on the price of both US crude oil (also known as ‘West Texas Intermediate’) and Brent crude oil (drilled from the North Sea) with Capital.com. As a derivative product, CFDs enable you to speculate on whether you think oil will rise or fall in price – but you’ll never need to physically buy or sell drums of oil. The main trading platform for sugar No. 11 and No. 16 is the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in New York. Trading in white sugar No. 407 is mainly carried out on the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE).
- Trading in white sugar No. 407 is mainly carried out on the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE).
- The list of most traded products and goods could be based on the number of contracts traded on major Futures and Options exchanges.
- Capital Com Online Investments Ltd is a limited liability company with company number B.
- As with wheat, soybeans are traded on commodity markets in the form of soybean futures contracts.
- The significance of these most traded goods has even influenced the top 5 most traded currencies in the world.
- Ultimately, though, when you’re thinking about what the best commodity to trade is, you should take a look at what influences market prices and what’s happening in the world.
There are rules governing the purity of metal alloys and quality of foodstuffs. Capital Com Online Investments Ltd is a limited liability company with company number B. Capital Com Online Investments Ltd is a Company registered in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and authorised by the Securities Commission of The Bahamas with license number SIA-F245. The Company’s registered office is at #3 Bayside Executive Park, Blake Road and West Bay Street, P. O. Box CB 13012, Nassau, The Bahamas.
The significance of these most traded goods has even influenced the top 5 most traded currencies in the world. Everything from valuable and practical commodities like precious metals and oil to the less obvious and questionable such as unsecured debt and catastrophe bonds. This list of commodities represents the biggest commodities in the world, with enormous implications for economies and markets. For traders, they are the best commodities to trade thanks to their liquidity and volatility.
These commodities are closely watched in the financial markets, where fluctuations can influence global economic trends and trading strategies. Silver is mainly used in industry, in the production of electronics and medical equipment. In investments, silver has gained popularity in the form of investment coins, which, due to their low cost, are often an alternative to gold coins. Silver ETFs and derivative contracts such as futures and options are also gaining popularity. Commodities can include oil, gas, industrial and precious metals, as well as food products, of which the main ones are cocoa, coffee, tea, soybeans, and wheat.
Technology, construction, fashion and investing are the main industries which demand vast amounts of metals. FocusEconomics provide hundreds of consensus forecast reports from the most reputable economic research authorities in the world. In 2022 the Singapore Exchange traded 12,476,340 Iron Ore Futures Contracts, which is a massive 1,247.7 million tons.
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The largest trading volume can be observed on the NYMEX, ICE, LME, and TOCOM exchanges. In 2022, 269,933 Futures and Options contracts were traded on LME, which is almost as much as the daily turnover on the wealth by virtue book COMEX. According to the LBMA (London Bullion Market Association) members of the London Precious Metals Clearing Limited (LPMCL) had registered 242.8 million ounces of gold had been cleared through 2022.
On the supply side, growth is constrained by geopolitical instability in key oil-producing regions, underinvestment in new exploration projects, and tightening environmental regulations. That said, oil output will get a boost this year from the unwinding of OPEC+ cuts and higher output from the Permian Basin in the U.S. Our analysts’ Brent crude price forecast for 2025 is lower than last at around USD 75 per barrel, largely due to the aforementioned rise in supply. Coal remains a dominant energy source, particularly in electricity generation and steelmaking, despite growing environmental concerns. China, India and Indonesia are the top producers, with China also being the largest consumer, accounting for over half of global coal demand.
Remaining Top 5 Largest Traded Commodities
The price of major commodities tends to correlate with inflation indicators and is heavily dependent on fundamental factors, which makes forecasting much easier. In June 2020, following the WTI Futures price crash, the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) revived trading volumes, with an average of 1,870 contracts being traded each day. What drove this opportunity was not fleeting weather events, but a deeper structural oversupply in global coffee markets. For traders, knowing which are the most traded commodities in the world – and why – is fundamental. The difference between reacting to commodity price changes and anticipating them can define profitability. Gold contracts are now offered by virtually every broker in almost every corner of the world.