Soybeans are a key global agricultural product, used for animal feed, vegetable oil production, and biofuels. Argentina, Brazil and the United States dominate production, while China is by far the largest importer; soybeans are used to feed the Asian nation’s vast livestock industry. As such, global soybean demand is heavily influenced by shifts in China’s meat consumption, as well as by weather conditions affecting harvests in supplying countries, and trade policies.

• As such, global soybean demand is heavily influenced by shifts in China’s meat consumption, as well as by weather conditions affecting harvests in supplying countries, and trade policies.
• For example, Soybean Meal and Soybean Oil, which both have high annual turnover on the CBOT.
• Beginners should first pay attention to highly liquid commodity assets, which are offered by almost all brokers, and the information about which is publicly available.
• Central banks, particularly in emerging markets, have been increasing their gold reserves in recent years as a hedge against inflation and geopolitical instability.
• As it is sold on exchanges, coffee is cleaned, dried and packaged in sacks.
• However, beginners often choose gold contracts, which are highly volatile.

Commodities Market Trends for 2025

South Africa dominates global production, accounting for nearly 70% of supply, with Russia and Zimbabwe also playing key roles. Looking ahead, our panelists’ platinum price forecast is for prices drifting up this year from last and continuing to trend up in subsequent years. Platinum’s role in green hydrogen production will likely be a driver, as will higher emerging-market jewelry demand. That said, automotive demand will tail off going forward as palladium substitution runs its course and the transition to electric vehicles continues. Labor strikes and power shortages in South Africa are the key risk to supply.

Crude oil is the top-selling commodity, and its dominant position is a result of the significant volume of physical deliveries. Oil is the primary source of fuel for transportation, industry, and power generation. Despite efforts to transition to green forex gold trading tips energy, global demand for oil remains high. According to the International Energy Agency, global supplies reached 102.9 million barrels per day in 2024. Platinum is a rare and valuable metal used primarily in jewelry, industrial applications, and catalytic converters for controlling vehicle emissions.

Coffee: Most Traded Commodity

The world’s top producers include the Russia, Saudi Arabia and the U.S., each contributing roughly 10–15% of global supply. OPEC—particularly Saudi Arabia—wields significant influence over oil markets through coordinated production cuts. That said, this influence has waned in recent years due to the rise of the U.S.—which is not part of OPEC—as a top crude supplier. The United States and China are the largest consumers of oil, though demand is increasing fastest in emerging economies like India.

What are the Top 10 Most Traded Commodities in the World

A barrel of crude oil produced by ExxonMobil and Chevron should be at the same standard, so brokers, exchanges and buyers are indifferent to the source of the commodity. Commodity futures contracts can bring more profit, but trading them requires skills and knowledge. Such contracts can be used as a way of running a business, reducing the cost of purchasing raw materials. You can also create hedging structures in which one commodity is offset by another, which will reduce your potential risks to almost zero.

The main trading platform for corn futures is the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), where this instrument has the ZC ticker. The ever-growing demand for natural gas worldwide has led to its increasing popularity as an exchange-traded investment vehicle. According to forecasts by the International Gas Union, global natural gas consumption will increase by another 2.3%–2.5% in 2025.

As commodities are traded on many different exchanges around the world with varying ticker symbols and contract specifications, it’s tough to really calculate the trading volume. Also, many commodity deals are done over-the-counter in private agreements. The list of most traded products and goods could be based on the number of contracts traded on major Futures and Options exchanges. For the commodities exchange market to function, all producers must work to the same standard.

Their presence underpins all aspects of the modern global economy, from the cars we drive to the food we buy and the electricity we summon with the press of a button. But which commodities are the most important, and what is the outlook for commodity prices in 2025 according to our Consensus forecast? The top ten list below is based on trade value data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC). In the summer of 2025, our Trading Co-Pilot showed how oversupply capped price rallies even as sanctions risk premia temporarily boosted Brent crude.

Сommodity trading is quite popular among traders with small amounts of capital. However, beginners often choose gold contracts, which are highly volatile. Any commodity asset is a complex instrument, and before trading, it is necessary to understand what makes its price fluctuate. Like other commodity instruments, corn is traded on exchanges in the form of futures, which involve both physical delivery and non-delivery.

Futures contracts are popular on major exchanges, while CFDs on commodities are offered by most Forex brokers. However, the first place in the world in terms of trading volume is rightfully held by the arbitrage on the Brent/WTI price difference. This position is often referred to as a spread, as traders essentially compare the prices of these grades and bet on the difference widening or narrowing. Commodity trading is usually held either on an international commodity exchange or in the OTC market.

• Natural gas is a valuable commodity used for electricity generation, household heating, industry, and transportation.
• The enormous global demand makes coffee one of the most traded commodities in the world.
• Gold pricing is mainly influenced by geopolitical tensions and demand for physical gold.
• By separating signal from noise, we helped traders avoid chasing unsustainable rallies in the largest commodity in the world.
• Technology, construction, fashion and investing are the main industries which demand vast amounts of metals.

The unit of measurement for No. 11 and No. 16 sugar contracts is pounds, while white sugar No. 407 is traded in tons. Gold pricing is mainly influenced by geopolitical tensions and demand for physical gold. When there is significant turbulence in the global political and economic landscape, the gold price rises as traders mitigate the risks of investing in other assets and reallocate their money to gold.

Agricultural Commodities

At Permutable, we work with institutional clients to track narrative-driven volatility across the top traded commodities. Here, we share a few examples highlighting how sentiment intelligence provides foresight across commodity markets. The commodity’s price reacts to geopolitical tensions that can cause supply and demand imbalances. Natural gas is increasingly important for power generation and heating, with rising demand worldwide.

For institutional systematic, quantitative and discretionary traders and asset managers, the challenge is no longer access to commodity price charts or knowing the current price of commodities. The commodity futures trading market exists precisely because of the volatility inherent in the highest commodity in the world. Here, our commodity market sentiment data feeds into this by detecting when narratives begin to influence futures pricing. For example, rising sentiment around “inventory builds” in crude or “export bans”, for instance, in wheat often foreshadow moves in commodity futures charts and quotes. By combining historical commodity prices with real-time sentiment signals, traders gain both context and foresight. Beginners should first pay attention to highly liquid commodity assets, which are offered by almost all brokers, and the information about which is publicly available.

Global Commodities Outlook: Key Market Trends for 2025

While oil ranks first in the world in terms of physical supply, gold trading is the global leader in exchange-traded contracts. Gold is a global commodity equivalent against which all world currencies are valued. Throughout history, gold has been considered the main measure of wealth and prosperity, and it is for this reason that the volume of gold trading grows year after year.

The World’s Largest Traded Commodity — Gold

Oil is the most liquid commodity, and for this reason, fluctuations in its price can lead to both quick profits and losses. To ensure your oil trades are successful, you need to understand the characteristics of this asset and the principles of pricing. The main advantage of trading commodities is the guarantee of trade execution and risk insurance. On the other hand, the disadvantages of such trading are high risks, low leverage, high commissions, and taxes. We recommend that you seek independent financial advice and ensure you fully understand the risks involved before trading.

Guidance on most traded commodities

The situation with constantly growing demand for gas supplies has been observed for several years in a row, which attracts investors and speculators. This is why the top 5 commodities – oil, natural gas, gold, silver, and copper – are often the first where clients deploy our market intelligence. Their liquidity makes them highly tradable, while their narrative sensitivity makes them ideal for AI-driven sentiment analysis. Of course, most desks already monitor the daily price of the most traded commodities. At Permutable, we track commodities news in real-time, clustering news stories into explainable drivers. If gold sentiment spikes on “safe haven demand” while copper sentiment falls on “slowing construction,” our system shows the divergence in real time.