CommodityHQ.com provides weekly information about any material impact of a major economic, corporate and/or geopolitical event on the global commodities market. The report also analyzes the weekly change in prices of the major commodity futures and commodity focused ETFs as a result of market-changing events and trends. This report covers events and analysis for the weeks ranging from July 11th to July 18th.
Despite a rebound late in the week, crude oil prices trended lower falling under $69 per barrel.
Gold prices fell to a one-year low of $1,227.90 a troy ounce this week but could show improvement from a lower U.S. dollar.
Natural gas prices fell sharply lower this week on colder-than-expected weather conditions in the U.S.
Be sure to check our previous edition so that you are aware of the changing trends in the commodity space.
Weekly Market Wrap-up
Energy – Crude oil prices fell overall for the week but show signs of a rebound on a drop in supplies, while natural gas prices dropped on colder weather and bearish sentiment by investors.
Oil – An unexpected drop in gasoline, diesel and heating oil supplies helped push crude oil prices higher after falling earlier in the week to $68.96 per barrel.
Natural Gas – Natural gas prices fell to $2.72 per million British thermal units this week on colder-than-usual weather but could be in oversold territory.
Gasoline – Gasoline prices stayed mostly flat this week with the average price for a gallon of gas holding steady at $2.86.
Metals – Copper prices experienced a bit of volatility this week following trade war worries but ended flat at $2.75 a pound.
Precious Metals – Gold prices continued to experience weakness this week dropping to $1,227.90 a troy ounce but could show improvement soon following a drop in the value of the U.S. dollar.
Other – Palladium prices remained mostly unchanged this week although a tight supply market could send it higher over the week few weeks.
Grains – U.S. wheat prices traded at a one-week high of $5.03 a bushel after a lower-than-expected crop rating.
Corn and Soybeans – Higher demand and falling crop ratings helped push corn prices higher this week.
Softs – Cotton prices moved higher this week on increasing global demand and volatile market conditions.
If you want to know what commodity is right for you, check out our Commodity Investing Database.
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Weekly Movement Across Commodity Futures
For this week, we analyzed all commodities by weekly performance and listed the top three performers by weekly percentage gain. All commodities were taken into account and analyzed from a performance perspective only to find the top three.
CommodityWeekly Gain (%)Contract ExpirationContract Price (as of July 18)52-Week Price ChangeU.S. Corn3.05%09/18/18$347.00$328.50 – $412.25U.S. Wheat2.01%09/18/18$494.00$400.75 – $554Copper-0.43%09/18/18$2.75$2.70 – $3.29
Agricultural commodities were among the top performers for the week with U.S. corn and U.S. wheat taking the number one and two spots, respectively. A falling dollar was largely responsible for the gains, while copper prices remained relatively flat for the week amidst higher volatility.
Weekly Commodity ETF Movers
For ETF investors, we tracked the top three biggest gainers and top three biggest losers for the past week. Not included are ETN’s, which behave differently than ETF’s, as well as leveraged ETF’s which may not be suitable for some investors. Some ETF’s that have less than one year on the market have been excluded due to lack of long-term data.
Top Three ETF Winners This Week
ETF TickerETF NameCommodity CategoryAssets ($MM)NAV (as of July 18)Return (weekly %)Return (YTD %)Expense RatioWEATTeucrium WheatWheat$64.02$6.273.29%4.50%1.00%CORNTeucrium CornCorn$72.86$16.051.84%-4.28%1.00%USAGUnited States Agriculture Index FundAgriculture$1.62$15.821.09%-4.18%0.80%
This week’s list of best-performing commodity-based ETFs mirrored broad gains in commodities with a wheat and corn fund in the top two spots, while a broad agricultural fund rounded out the number three spot. A drop in the value of the U.S. dollar helped buoy prices along with a drop in crop ratings.
Top Three ETF Losers This Week
ETF TickerETF NameCommodity CategoryAssets ($MM)NAV (as of July 18)Return (weekly %)Return (YTD %)Expense RatioUNGUnited States Natural Gas FundNatural gas$390.48$22.15-3.28%-5.02%1.30%PALLETFS Physical Palladium SharesPalladium$137.39$86.23-3.22%-15.09%0.60%UNLUnited States 12 Month Natural Gas FundNatural gas$5.87$9.00-2.17%-1.96%0.90%
This week’s list of worst-performing commodity-based ETFs found two natural gas funds in the number one and number three spots as the colder-than-expected weather turned investors bearish. A palladium fund trended lower as well but could rebound on tighter market conditions.
We provide this report on a weekly basis. Be sure to check our News section to remain updated on the latest happenings in the commodity space.