The Real Things
Since start of the new Millennium, we have witnessed the greatest resources market boom in living memory. China has been the major catalyst in the establishment of what many have called a new 'super-cycle' in commodities. Long-term prices are continuing to increase with higher trend growth in global demand, driven by materials' intensive growth in the developing world. Now prices have reversed the decline of the previous 30 years and new supply from higher cost projects is driving industry average costs higher.
By Guy Isherwood, Commodities Now.

The Various Routes for Commodity Exposure
Institutional investor interest in commodities has increased significantly over the past few years, a reflection of a much lower investment returns environment in this decade compared to the 1990s as well as powerful cyclical and structural forces working in favour of commodities. However, the routes to gain commodity exposure are varied and in this article we examine the relative merits of each approach.
By Michael Lewis, Global Head of Commodities Research at Deutsche Bank.

Commodities - Too Late to Invest?
Commodities have arrived as a mainstream asset class. In the last few years many large institutional investors around the world, who had not already done so in the 1990s, have made allocations to commodities "... in line with international best practice." Also, an ever growing market of structured commodity investments has made the asset class accessible to private investors, writes Stefan Weiser, Executive Director, J. Aron & Company/Goldman Sachs
By Stefan Weiser, Executive Director, J. Aron & Company/Goldman Sachs.

Challenges in Commodities Risk Management
The recent out-performance of commodities versus equities has caused a positive re-evaluation of commodities by both retail and institutional investors. The conclusion is that while the commodity markets provide a manager with ample opportunities for creating portfolios of diverse strategies, there are a number of challenges in doing so.
By Hilary Till & Joseph Eagleeye, Co-Founders of Premia Capital Management, LLC.

Portfolio Diversification With Gold, Silver & Platinum
Little research has been done on the role of precious metals in strategic asset allocation. Here, Bullion Marketing Services Inc., in a report prepared by Ibbotson Associates, looks into the benefits of these metals and discover that a physical investment in precious metals has bond-like returns - with a relatively high standard deviation and very low correlations to other asset classes. Of those examined in the study, the precious metals asset class is the only one with a negative average correlation to the others and, excluding cash, the only asset class with a positive correlation coefficient with inflation, writes Guy Isherwood, Commodities Now.
By Guy Isherwood, Commodities Now.

Today's Energy & Environmental Hedge Funds
A number of specialised investment and financing vehicles have emerged in the energy and environmental markets. Some to replace old incumbents and others to take advantage of new markets and new investment opportunities.
By Peter C. Fusaro & Dr. Gary M. Vasey, Energy Hedge Funds Center.

Hard Facts on Soft Commodities
Agricultural and soft commodities, such as cocoa, sugar, grains and livestock, each have their own unique features and supply/demand traits. Characterised by wide fluctuations in prices, are they an overlooked investment?
By Guy Isherwood, Commodities Now.

Patch-Worked Applications & Spreadsheets ... Turning Turmoil into Opportunity
Time to get out of spreadsheets and into Controlled Business Decisions. In this article Michael Schwartz & Harry Rapp of Triple Point Technology focus on the exposure an organisation faces that relies on spreadsheets and patch-worked applications for reporting and control. They show how an integrated systems approach cannot only eliminate the problem, but can be a definitive step in recreating your business for a golden future.
By Michael Schwartz & Harry Rapp, Triple Point Technology.