Agricultural commodities are soft commodities which are grown. They include
coffee,
cotton and
sugar. Each of them has its own forces of supply and demand (some have seasonal demand cycles) and is subject to additional forces like unforeseen natural events, which can impact production and make prices volatile. In general, good growing seasons lead to excess supply and falling prices while mediocre crop yields lead to a boost prices.
Soft commodities don't always make the headlines, but their global trade continues to expand rapidly, attracting investors from across the globe. Agricultural commodities are mostly traded through options and futures contracts. There is a constant dynamic at play by hedgers wishing to reduce their risk and traders willing to take those risks on. Value-wise, coffee is the second most traded commodity overall, second only to
oil. One of our popular chats is the
Agricultural room where traders talk in real-time about where the Agricultural commodities market is going.
