Commodity
trading strategies are plans for buying and selling commodity futures and
options to profit from movements in price. It is important to construct a
strategic plan before you begin trading commodities and risk any capital.
Watching
the financial news and reading a commodity newsletter for the latest trading
tips will not provide a trader with the necessary skills to succeed in the
commodities markets. Many commodity trading strategies employ technical
analysis when it comes to entering and exiting risk positions in the futures
and futures options markets. That said, technical analysis provides only a part of the
picture. Fundamental,
supply, and demand analyses are also critical analytical components
that help traders avoid unexpected changes in output and consumption in
raw material markets.
Using
these tools, you can develop strategies that you test through simulations over
time will allow a budding trader to understand risk and reward, as well as the
volatile nature of markets. Many commodity trading strategies revolve around
either a range trading or breakout methodology. Each type of strategy has pros
and cons, so it is up to the individual trader to choose which type of strategy
might work best.
Range Trading Strategy
Range
trading in commodities simply means attempting to make purchases near the
bottom end of a range (support) and selling at the top of that range
(resistance). The success of this strategy depends on the ability to buy a
commodity after selling makes the price fall to an oversold condition. Oversold
means that the market has absorbed all selling and buying is likely to emerge.
Conversely, one might look to sell a commodity after a long rally that makes
the price rise to an overbought condition where the buying declines and selling
emerges.
There are
numerous indicators which measure overbought and oversold levels like the
Relative Strength Index, Stochastics, Momentum, and Rate of Change metrics.
These strategies work well when the market has no definable and consistent
trend. However, it is possible that markets can remain in an overbought or
oversold territory for long periods of time. The risk of range trading is that
the market moves below technical support or above resistance.
Trading Breakouts
A
strategy centered on trading breakouts in the world of commodities means that a
trader will look to buy a commodity as it makes new highs or look to sell a
commodity as it makes new lows. New highs and lows can easily be spotted on a
chart, as they are the peaks and troughs of previous moves. Many professional
traders use these techniques when they are managing large sums of money and
looking for a major trend to develop. Commodities are volatile instruments and
it is not uncommon for them to double or half in price or more over relatively short
time spans.
The
philosophy for this strategy is simple: A market cannot continue its trend
without making new highs or new lows. This strategy works best when trends are
strong and long-lasting. It does not matter whether a trend is up or down, as
the trader is buying new highs and selling(shorting) at new lows. One critical
drawback of this strategy is that it performs poorly when markets are not able
to establish strong trends and trade in ranges.
Fundamental Trading Strategy
While
trading breakouts or ranges usually have specific rules as to when to buy and
sell, fundamental trading depends on factors that will affect supply and demand
for the commodity in question. As an example, a trader might buy soybeans
because the weather is dry during the summertime, leading to expectations for a
smaller crop. On the other hand, one might expect demand to increase for crude oil
from China, leading to a long position in oil futures.
Traders
and investors that are new to the markets tend to have difficulty with
fundamental trading as it involves a tremendous amount of homework and number
crunching. Moreover, fundamental positions usually need more time and patience
and require more risk because developments can take a long time to unfold.
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