Trading commodities is a very good way of generating income. Commodities are always in high demand, and they continue to be widely sought after by people, and for a very good reason. Commodities trading South Africa has quickly become very appealing for people all over the country, and it continues to be extremely rewarding due to its intrinsic value. If you study the commodities prices South Africa and know when to buy and sell, you can actually generate good income. It does require a bit of a trial and error, but the results can be spectacular.
What do we define as commodities?
Before we learn about the best Forex commodities in South Africa, it’s important to know what commodities are in the first place. Commodities are goods or materials that people acquire from nature, and then they are processed to be used in human activities. The reason why they are very important is because we need them in our day to day life.
Let’s face it, commodities are used to generate energy, produce food, create clothing and so on. That’s why commodities trading in South Africa is very normal and it won’t go away. It all comes down to learning what to trade, when to trade it and making sure you have an excellent result and value. With commodities trading, the main focus is always on quality, but quantity also plays a major factor.
Since commodities are mass-produced and also standardized, prices are very similar to one another. However, when you check the list of commodities in South Africa, you will see that some of them are sometimes a bit more expensive when compared to others. Knowing the overall price difference and other factors is certainly a thing you want to take into consideration here.
What are soft commodities?
Soft commodities are related to farming. Everything related to basic food groups is a part of the soft commodities. The important thing to note is that soft commodities are always in demand, because people are constantly looking for food ingredients and foot products in particular. The challenge here is that soft commodities are also prone to various issues.
They are sensitive commodities, and there are lots of things that can go wrong. For example, weather, pests and a lack of care will end up damaging the commodities and they will focus on delivering a much better result in a situation like this.
What are hard commodities?
Some of the most common commodities trading South Africa are hard commodities. These are precious metals and base metals. As expected, base metals are a byproduct of mining, while precious metals are harder to acquire, more expensive and definitely a lot more appealing to investors. However, each type of commodity has its own trading community.
Unlike soft commodities that can be very sensitive, hard commodities don’t have issues like that. The weather is not problematic, nor is there a rush to harvest. These commodities are not seasonal, which can be seen as a major advantage! It’s one of the reasons why hard commodities area great for investors, because you don’t have to deal with random situations like spoilage, pests or so on. You buy, store and sell. That’s why it’s a more exciting approach for most investors.
Crude oil
Crude oil is the raw oil that’s extracted from the ground. It also includes some of the other products that are formed from the refined crude oil. Over the years, the crude oil commodity has quickly become one traded around the world and it’s easy to see why. A lot of products are made specifically from crude oil, and we encounter some of those at least once a day.
To put it into perspective, crude oil is a resource that gets refined into products. Petroleum products, jet fuel, gasoline, all of them are refined from crude oil, and that goes to show the uniqueness of crude oil and how often it’s used. When it comes to commodities, crude oil tends to be traded as is. However, there are many other refined oil products that also get traded, so this is indeed a very commonly traded and extremely popular commodity you will find.
Raw materials
When it comes to the Forex commodities trading South Africa, we will notice raw materials are included very often in that list. Raw materials are substances or materials that are used in the manufacturing or production of goods. These raw materials are acquired and then sold on exchanges all over the world. What happens is that people buy these and then sell them.
It’s very common to see commodities like raw materials being traded on commodity markets. They are appealing to traders because you don’t have to keep them in stock or anything. They tend to be sold very fast, and that alone is a significant advantage to consider here.
What’s important to keep in mind is that you have direct and indirect raw materials. For example, you have cloth fabric, padding for the chairs, cushions, wood or timber as direct raw materials for a company specializing in furniture. Indirect raw materials are the glue, nails, fittings and so on. Of course, when it comes to the commodities prices South Africa, those will differ quite a lot. Yet in the world of commodities in general, you will mostly find the South African market being interested in direct raw materials. Those also tend to commend the better prices, so try to keep that in mind.
Precious metals
Unlike other commodities that are traded often, precious metals are held in very high regard. We can see why, because these tend to have a high economic value. And they also have something that many commodities don’t, which is scarcity. These precious metals are used in the industrial process, they are don’t have any issues with inflation, and historically they keep their value.
When it comes to precious metals, a lot of people consider the best options to be silver, platinum and gold. Over the years, they kept their value and they have become a very good investment opportunity. Of course, that doesn’t mean that investing in these doesn’t come with a risk. But if we look at the data, buying and selling such commodities tends to be profitable. It always comes down to getting the best prices and ensuring that you sell at a higher rate.
The most traded precious metals are silver and gold, but platinum is right after them. It just goes to show that there is a large interest in precious metals and people are looking to buy these products. Which is great, because it shows the significant value that it can provide, the attention to detail is nothing short of extraordinary and excellent at the same time.
Many find commodities like precious metals more appealing as an investment opportunity because the value is great, and you don’t have to worry about things rotting or getting damaged. Yes, there are still risks involved so this is not a method downsides. But it totally works, and it can help convey a very good outcome in the long term, which is something to keep in mind.
Energy
Energy commodities have become a must when it comes to the list of commodities in South Africa. That’s because natural gas, along with heating oil, propane, gasoline and ethanol are very commonly used in the country. And because of that, the commodities prices commodities for energy commodities in particular is quite stable.
There are still times of instability, but that’s something that you usually need to expect with something like this. For the most part, trading commodities properly is going to take adjusting and improvement. But at the end of the day, it delivers the value and quality, and it totally works. Which is what makes it such an excellent solution in the first place. You will need to perform some price discovery based on the stuff you want to trade, and also check with financial institutions. But it’s definitely going to be worth it.
Are dairy products traded?
Yes, you will find dairy products traded often when it comes to commodities. Out of those, milk, butter and milk powder tend to be the most commonly traded ones. It’s important to understand what ends up being traded and the possible issues that you can deal with. However, dairy products are always going to be traded, because they are a very important part of the market.
Aside from that, you can also find commodity traders that focus on meat and livestock trading. Lean hogs, feeder cattle or live cattle are also being traded too, and that’s something to keep in mind. Of course we also have grain and other commodities being traded, like sugar, cocoa, wheat, cotton, oats, corn, rice, soybean and many others.
It’s important to see how many things are being traded and how incredible they truly are. The main focus of commodities is to enhance the trading experience and push it to the next level. And, of course, making a little bit of profit when that is a possibility. It always matters how and when you trade, and tracking how other market participants trade will come in handy. The trading platform matters too, because some are inherently better when compared to others.
How can you trade commodities in South Africa?
Obviously, the first thing you want to figure out is whether you want to trade soft or hard commodities. As we said earlier, each commodity type has its own pros and cons. A lot of people prefer hard commodities because you don’t have to deal with issues like damage or the product going bad. Those things alone can be very problematic, so addressing issues firsthand and knowing when and how to manage those accordingly can help you more than you might expect. That alone is an exceptional thing to take into consideration.
After that, you need to learn what moves the commodities prices South Africa. In many cases, it has to do with the competition selling at a lower price. Also, the alternative products being introduced to the market can sometimes lower prices for commodities. All these things matter and that alone can end up being a significant advantage. The more you focus on that, the better the results will be here.
Plus, there are other factors to think about here. Macroeconomics, seasonality, weather changes, macroeconomics, politics are all things that can arise and they will appear very often. To add it more into perspective, commodities will continue to increase and lower their prices often. Just because something has a good price now, that doesn’t mean the good price will continue to be the same in the long run. It’s important to understand that, and the faster you do so, the better it will be.
It’s crucial to find the best trading platform to work on too. You need to check their credentials, previous work, reputation and reviews too. The more information you accumulate, the better the results will be, so try to take that into consideration for the best outcome. It’s a major part of this process, and the more you do it, the better it will be in the end. What you have to always consider when it comes to trading commodities is the great attention to detail and the results that you can get.
Conclusion
Commodities trading South Africa has become very appealing for many investors these days. The main reason has to do with their versatility, but also the great return that you can have from these. There’s no denying that investing in commodities will always have pros and cons. But when you trade these, you can have a pretty good ROI and it’s that type of value that you want to go for. Yes, there is a trial and error aspect to consider, but the results you can get will be great if you stick with it. Once you do that, the outcome can be outstanding and you can generate very good results from your trades!
