Commodities For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
	About This Book
	Foolish Assumptions
	Icons Used in This Book
	Beyond the Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part 1 Commodities: Just the Facts
	Chapter 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 markets
			The equity markets
				Publicly traded companies
				Master limited partnerships
			Managed funds
			Physical commodity purchases
		Checking Out What’s on the Menu
			Energy
			Metals
			Agricultural products
	Chapter 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
				The BRIC countries
				China
				Brazil
		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
	Chapter 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 from 2008 through the 2020 Global Pandemic
			Origins of the 2008 crisis
			The 2020 Pandemic
		Managing Risk
			Due diligence: Just do it
				Commodity companies
				Managed funds
				Futures market
				Commodity fundamentals
			Diversify, diversify, diversify
	Chapter 4 Feel the Love: Welcoming Commodities into Your Portfolio
		The Color of Money: Taking Control of Your Financial Life
		Looking Ahead: Creating a Financial Road 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
				Commodity index
				Futures commission merchant
				Commodity trading advisor
				Commodity pool operator
			Funding your account with commodity funds
				Commodity mutual funds
				Exchange-traded funds
			You’re in good company: Investing in commodity companies
				Publicly traded companies
				Master limited partnerships
Part 2 Getting Started with Types of Investment Vehicles
	Chapter 5 Benefiting from Exchange-Traded Funds
		Getting to Know ETFs
		Accessing a Variety of Commodity Markets through ETFs
		Taking a Look at Leveraged ETFs
	Chapter 6 Making a Splash: Investing in Liquid Commodity Instruments
		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
		Cataloguing the Five Major Indexes
			The S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index
			Reuters/Jefferies Commodity Research Bureau Index
			Dow Jones Commodity Index
			Rogers International Commodities Index
			Deutsche Bank Liquid Commodity Index
		Determining Which Index to Use
	Chapter 7 Show Me the Money! Choosing the Right Manager
		Mutually Beneficial: Investing in Commodity Mutual Funds
			Riddle me this, riddle me that: Asking the right questions
			Taking a look at what’s out there
				The PIMCO Commodity Real Return Strategy Fund
				The Oppenheimer Real Asset Fund
				Additional commodity funds on the market
		Mastering MLPs
			The ABCs of MLPs
				The taxman only rings once
				General partner
				Limited partner
			Cash flow is king
				Distributable cash flow
				Discretionary cash flow
			The nuts and bolts of MLP investing
			Heads up! Risk and MLPs
		Relying on a Commodity Trading Advisor
		Jumping into a Commodity Pool
	Chapter 8 Exploring Commodity Exchanges and Digital Assets
		Why Do We Have Commodities Exchanges Anyway?
		Identifying the Major Commodity Exchanges
		Ready, Set, Invest: Opening an Account and Placing Orders
			Choosing the right account
				Self-directed account
				Managed account
			Placing orders
				Understanding contract parameters
				Defining different types of orders
			Tracking your order from start to finish
				The clerk
				The floor broker
				The floor trader
				The card clocker
				The floor runner
				The price reporter
				The ring supervisor
			Keeping up at the exchange
		Owning a Piece of an Exchange
		What Are Digital Assets Anyway?
	Chapter 9 Back to the Future: Getting a Grip on Futures and Options
		Taking the Mystery out of Futures and Options
		The Future Looks Bright: How to Trade Futures Contracts
			The competition: Who trades futures?
				Getting over the hedge
				The truth about speculators
			Contract specs: Keeping track of all the moving pieces
				Underlying asset
				Underlying quantity
				Product grade
				Price quote
				Price limits
				Trading months
				Delivery location
				Last trading day
				Trading hours
		For a Few Dollars Less: Trading Futures on Margin
		Taking a Pulse: Figuring Out Where the Futures Market Is Heading
			Contango: It takes two to tango
			Backwardation: One step forward, two steps back
		Keeping Your Options Open: Trading with Options
			Following options in action
			Understanding trader talk
			Selecting option characteristics
				Call options: Calling all investors
				Put options: Putting everything on the line
				Looking at American options
				Taking the European alternative
Part 3 The Power House: How to Make Money in Energy
	Chapter 10 Keeping It Natural: Investing in Renewable Energy
		Always Brand-Spanking New: Getting to Know Renewable Energy
		Sunny Delight: Investing in Solar Energy
		Fast and Furious: Trading in Wind Energy
		Betting on Biomass
	Chapter 11 It’s a Crude, Crude World: Investing in Crude Oil
		Seeing the Crude Realities
			No need for a reservation: Examining global reserve estimates
			Staying busy and productive: Looking at production figures
			It’s a demanding field: Checking out demand figures
			Going in and out: Eyeing imports and exports
		Going Up the Crude Chain
		Making Big Bucks with Big Oil
			Oil companies: Lubricated and firing on all cylinders
				Flying solo: Looking at individual oil companies
				Oil company ETFs: Strength in numbers
			Get your passport ready: Investing overseas
	Chapter 12 Welcome to Gas Vegas, Baby! Trading Natural Gas
		What’s the Use? Looking at Natural Gas Applications
			Calling all captains of industry: Industrial uses of natural gas
			If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! Natural gas in your home
			Going commercial: Natural gas’s commercial uses
			Truly electrifying! Generating electricity with natural gas
			Getting from here to there: Natural gas and transportation
		Liquefied Natural Gas: Getting Liq uid without Getting Wet
		Investing in Natural Gas
			Natural selection: Trading nat gas futures
			Nat gas companies: The natural choice
	Chapter 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
			It’s a coal investment
				Coal futures contract
				Coal company
		Investing in Nuclear Power: Going Nuclear without Going Ballistic
			Uranium equities
			Uranium ETF
			Uranium futures
		You’ve Been Zapped! Trading Electricity
			Brushing up on current affairs
			Investing in the power industry
				Charged and ready to go
				Power to the people
	Chapter 14 Totally Energized: Investing in Energy Companies
		Bull’s-Eye! Profiting from Oil Exploration and Production
			Going offshore
			Staying on dry land
			Servicing the oil fields
		Oh My, You’re So Refined! Investing in Refineries
		Becoming an Oil Shipping Magnate
			Swimming in oil: Transportation supply and demand
			Crude oil ships ahoy!
			Masters of the sea: Petroleum shipping companies
			Swimming with sharks: Avoiding industry risk
		The New Kids on the Block: EV Transportation Companies
Part 4 Pedal to the Metal: Investing in Metals
	Chapter 15 All That Glitters: Investing in Gold, Silver, and Platinum
		Going for the Gold
			Getting to know the gold standard
				What makes gold valuable
				How to measure gold
			Good as gold: Finding ways to invest in gold
				Let’s get physical
				Gold ETFs
				Stocks in gold companies
				Gold contracts
		Get the Tableware Ready: Investing in Silver
			Checking out the big picture on the silver screen
		Getting a Sliver of Silver in Your Portfolio
			Buying physical silver
				Buying the silver ETF
				Looking at silver-mining companies
				Checking out silver futures contracts
		Bling Bling: Investing in Platinum
			Gathering platinum facts and figures
			Going platinum
				Platinum futures contract
				Platinum-mining companies
	Chapter 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
	Chapter 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
	Chapter 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
			Wheaton Precious Metals: Silver
			Freeport McMoRan: Copper
			Alcoa: Aluminum
			Arcelor-Mittal: Steel
		Making Money during the Mining Merger Mania
Part 5 Going Down to the Farm: Trading Agricultural Products
	Chapter 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
	Chapter 20 How to Gain from Grains: Trading Corn, Wheat, and Soybeans
		Field of Dreams: Investing in Corn
		Welcome to the Breadbasket: Investing in Wheat
		It’s Not Just Peanuts: Trading Soybeans
			Soybeans
			Soybean oil
			Soybean meal
	Chapter 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
Part 6 The Part of Tens
	Chapter 22 Ten Investing Resources You Can’t Do Without
		The Wall Street Journal
		Bloomberg
		Commodities-Investors.com
		Morningstar
		Yahoo! Finance
		Commodity Futures Trading Commission
		The Energy Information Administration
		Stocks & Commodities Magazine
		Oil & Gas Journal
		National Futures Association
	Chapter 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
	Chapter 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
	Chapter 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
Glossary
Index
EULA