Commodities For Dummies

Introduction --
pt. I. Commodities: just the facts --
1. Investors, start your engines! An overview of commodities --
Defining commodities and their investment characteristics --
Going for a spin: choosing the right investment vehicle --
The futures market --
the equity markets --
Managed funds --
Physical commodity purchases --
Checking out what\'s on the menu --
Energy --
Metals --
Agricultural products --
2. Earn, baby, earn! Why you should invest in commodities --
You can\'t argue with success --
Why the 21st Century is the century of commodities --
Ka-boom! Capitalizing on the global population explosion --
Brick by brick: profiting from urbanization --
Full steam ahead! Benefiting from industrialization --
What makes commodities unique --
Gaining from inelasticity --
Finding a safe haven --
Hedging against inflation --
Taking time to bring new sources online --
Sell in May and go away? Definitely nay! --
Time to get down to business: commodities and the business cycle --
3. Investing in commodities: only for the brave? --
Biting off more than you can chew: the pitfalls of using leverage --
Watch your step: understanding the real risks behind commodities --
Sovereign government risk --
Geopolitical risk --
Speculative risk --
Corporate governance risk --
Tracking commodities and the 2008 global financial crisis --
Origins of the crisis --
Overview of the crisis --
Managing risk --
Due diligence: just do it --
Diversify, diversify, diversify --
4. Feel the love: welcoming commodities into your portfolio --
The color of money: taking control of your financial life --
Looking ahead: creating a financial map --
Figuring out your net worth --
Identifying your tax bracket --
Determining your appetite for risk --
Making room in your portfolio for commodities --
Fully exposed: the top ways to get exposure to commodities --
Looking toward the future with commodity futures --
Funding your account with commodity funds --
You\'re in good company: investing in commodity companies. pt. II. Getting started with types of investment vehicles --
5. Benefiting from exchange-traded funds --
Getting to know ETFs --
Accessing a variety of commodity markets through ETFs --
Taking a look at leveraged ETFs --
6. Track and trade: investing through commodity indexes --
Checking out commodity indexes --
Why indexes are useful --
How to make money by using an index --
From head to toe: uncovering the anatomy of a commodity index --
Cataloging the five major indexes --
the S & P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index --
Reuters/Jefferies Commodity Research Bureau Index --
Dow Jones-AIG Commodity Index --
Rogers International Commodities Index --
Deutsche Bank Liquid Commodity Index --
Determining which index to use --
7. Show me the money! Choosing the right manager --
Mutually beneficial: investing in commodity mutual funds --
Asking the right questions --
Taking a look at what\'s out there --
Mastering MLPs --
The ABCs of MLPs --Cash flow is king --
The nuts and bolts of MLP investing --
Risk and MLPs --
Relying on a commodity trading advisor --
Jumping into a commodity pool --
8. Exploring commodity exchanges, brokers, and trading accounts --
Why do we have commodities exchanges, anyway? --
Identifying the major commodity exchanges --
Opening an account and placing orders --
Owning a piece of an exchange --
9. Back to the future: getting a grip on futures and options --
Taking the mystery out of futures and options --
How to trade futures contracts --
Who trades futures? --
Keeping track of all the moving pieces --
Trading futures on margin --
Figuring out where the futures market is heading --Trading with options --
Understanding trader talk. pt. III. The power house: how to make money in energy --
10. It\'s a crude, crude world: investing in crude oil --
Seeing the crude realities --
Examining global reserve estimates --
Looking at production figures --
Checking out demand figures --
Eyeing imports and exports --
Going up the crude chain --
Making big bucks with big oil --
Oil companies --
Investing overseas --
11. Welcome to Gas Vegas, baby! Trading natural gas --
Looking at natural gas applications --
Industrial uses of natural gas --
Natural gas in your home --
Natural gas\'s commercial uses --
Generating electricity with natural gas --
Natural gas and transportation --
Liquefied natural gas --
Investing in natural gas --
Trading nat gas futures --
Nat gas companies: the natural choice --
12. Keeping it natural: investing in renewable energy --
Getting to know renewable energy --
Investing in solar energy --
Trading in wind energy --
Betting on biomass --
13. Fuel for thought: looking at alternative energy sources --
Digging up new energy sources --
Reexamining King coal: not as scary as you think --
Coal hard facts --
Paint it black --
Investing in nuclear power --
Uranium equities --
Uranium ETF --
Uranium futures --
Trading electricity --
Brushing up on current affairs --
Investing in the power industry --
14. Totally energized: investing in energy companies --
Profiting from oil exploration and production --
Going offshore --
Staying on dry land --
Servicing the oil fields --
Investing in refineries --
Becoming an oil shipping magnate --
Transportation supply and demand --
Crude oil ships ahoy! --
Petroleum shipping companies --
Avoiding industry risk. pt. IV. Pedal to the metal: investing in metals --
15. All that glitters: investing in gold, silver, and platinum --
Getting to know the gold standard --
Finding ways to invest in gold --
Investing in silver --
Investing in platinum --
16. Metals that prove their mettle: steel, aluminum, and copper --
Building a portfolio that\'s as strong as steel --
Steely facts --
Investing in steel companies --
Aluminum: Illuminating the details --
Just the aluminum facts --
aluminum futures --
Aluminum companies --
Paying a visit to Dr. Copper --
Quick copper facts --
Copper futures contracts --
Copper companies --
17. Weighing investments in heavy and not-so-heavy metals --
Palladium: metal for the new millennium --
Zinc and grow rich --
You won\'t get nickel and dimed by investing in nickel --
18. Mine your own business: unearthing the top mining companies --
Considering diversified mining companies --
BHP Billiton --
Rio Tinto --
Anglo-American --
Checking out specialized mining companies --
Newmont Mining: gold --
Silver Wheaton: silver --
Freeport McMoRan: copper --
Alcoa: aluminum --
Arcelor-Mittal: steel --
Making money during the mining merger mania. pt. V. Going down to the farm: trading agricultural products --
19. Breakfast of champions: profiting from coffee, cocoa, sugar, and orange juice --
Giving your portfolio a buzz by investing in coffee --
Coffee: it\'s time for your big break --
The coffee futures contract: it may be your cup of tea --
Ordering up investments in gourmet coffee shops --
Warming up to cocoa --
Investing in sugar: such a sweet move! --
Orange juice: refreshingly good for your bottom line --
20. How to gain from grains: trading corn, wheat, and soybeans --
Field of dreams: investing in corn --
Welcome to the bread basket: investing in wheat --
It\'s not just peanuts: trading soybeans --
Soybeans --
Soybean oil --
Soybean meal --
21. Alive and kicking! Making money trading livestock --
Holy Cow! Investing in cattle --
Live cattle --
Feeder cattle --
Lean and mean: checking out lean hogs --
You want bacon with that? Trading frozen pork bellies. pt. VI. The part of tens --
22. Ten or so investing resources you can\'t do without --
The Wall Street Journal --
Bloomberg --
Commodities-Investors.com --
Nightly Business Report --
Morningstar --
Yahoo!Finance --
Commodity Futures Trading Commission --
The Energy Information Administration --
Stocks and Commodities Magazine --
Oil & Gas Journal --
National Futures Association --
23. Top ten market indicators you should monitor --
Consumer Price Index --
EIA Inventory Reports --
Federal Funds Rate --
Gross Domestic Product --
London Gold Fix --
Nonfarm payrolls --
Purchasing Managers Index --
Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index --
U.S. dollar --
WTI Crude Oil --
24. Top ten commodity ETFs --
PowerShares DB Commodity Index --
iPath DJ-UBS Commodity Index --
United States Oil --
United States Natural Gas --
SPDR Gold Shares --
iShares Silver Trust --
iPath DJ-UBS Aluminum TR Sub-index --
PowerShares DB Agriculture Long Index --
iPath DJ-UBS Coffee TR subindex --
Market Vectors Global Alternative Energy --
25. Top ten investment vehicles for commodities --
Futures commission merchant --
Commodity trading advisor --
Commodity pool operator --
Integrated commodity companies --
Specialized commodity companies --
Master limited partnerships --
Exchange traded funds --
Commodity mutual funds --
Commodity indexes --
Emerging market funds.