Michael Johnston

Michael Johnston is the director of ETFdb.com, as well as the co-founder of Commodity HQ. In 2009, after noticing a lack of free, useful analytical resources for ETF investors, Michael co-founded ETFdb.com and set out to build a site that could be used by investors of all types. Over the next several years, ETFdb has blossomed as the premier online database of exchange traded securities. In 2011, Michael saw a similar opportunity in the world of commodity investing, and the seeds for the launch of Commodity HQ were sown.

Michael is one of the most widely-followed authors in the ETF world, and he is regularly quoted in publications such as Barron’s and the Wall Street Journal. Michael is also a regular on the ETF and commodities conference circuit, having hosted panels at events such as Inside ETFs and Super Bowl of Indexing.

Michael graduated with a degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame, and has completed the exam portion of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program. Michael lives in Chicago where he's an avid Cubs and Blackhawks fan.

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Posts By Michael


What You Need To Know About The New Copper ETF

One of the latest innovations in the ETF industry came in the form of the first exchange-traded fund offering exposure to copper, one of the most widely used and heavily-traded commodities in the world. The recently-launched United States Copper Index Fund (CPER), which debuted earlier this month, is not the first exchange-traded product to offer investors access to copper; it comes along after two exchange-traded notes from iPath that focus exclusively on this natural resource. But the new fund from USCF is different from the other products on the market in a couple of key ways [see also 13 Ways To Invest In Copper]:

Posted in Copper, Industrial Metals | Leave a comment

50 Free Web Resources For Commodity Investors

Interest in commodities as an investable asset class has been gradually climbing over the last several years, as new means of accessing these securities have turned investors on to the potential return enhancement and diversification benefits. While the potential rewards of investing in commodities are tremendous–as evidenced by the huge price run-ups over the last year–the risks are substantial as well. While commodities are increasingly ubiquitous and are relatively simple to identify or understand–everyone could identify corn or sugar–there are numerous nuances that complicate the process of establishing exposure to natural resources [see also Three Things Wall Street Journal Didn’t Tell You About Commodities]. Much of the confusion is due to the challenges with accomplishing exposure to spot prices–and misunderstandings over the alternatives, including stocks or ETFs of producing companies and futures contracts. Fortunately, there is no shortage of free resources dedicated to making this asset class easier to understand, … See the full story here

Posted in Agriculture, Alternative Energy, Commodity ETFs, Energy, Exclusive, Industrial Metals, Precious Metals, Rare Earth/Strategic Metals, Tools | 8 Comments

Weekly Energy Roundup: Crude Surges, Natural Gas Continues Slide

Energy prices managed to squeeze out relatively strong performances over the last week despite the chaos in Italy that rippled throughout the global financial markets. Crude oil resisted the downward pressure from intensifying anxiety over a debt crisis in Europe, and managed to head higher in recent sessions–with a brief detour on Wednesday. The following table shows the performance of energy exchange-traded products for the week ended November 10; note that these products utilize futures-based strategies, and as such may not reflect changes in spot commodity prices over this period:

Posted in Brent Oil, Energy, Gasoline, Heating Oil, Natural Gas, WTI | 1 Comment

Weekly Agriculture Roundup: Hot Cocoa

Like just about every other asset class, agricultural commodities have been on a wild ride over the last several trading sessions, fluctuating along with equity markets as investors have tried to evaluate the latest news out of Europe. The last week has generally been a strong stretch for agricultural and soft commodities, as a rally in stock markets and return to risky assets has created a wave of moderate optimism among investors. The following table shows the performance of several popular commodity exchange-traded products for the week ended November 8. It should be noted that each of the funds included below utilizes futures contracts to achieve its stated objectives; as such, returns may not be reflective of changes in spot prices:

Posted in Cocoa, Coffee, Corn, Cotton, Livestock, Soybeans, Sugar, Wheat | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Commodity ETF Spotlight: USCI In Focus

Many investors looking to add broad-based commodity exposure to their portfolios, ranging from individuals to billion dollar hedge funds, have turned to ETFs as the most efficient vehicle for doing so. While the most popular products are generally those that have the longest operating history, more and more investors are turning to new products that are popping up as a tool for establishing exposure to this potentially promising–and risky–asset class. One of the more innovative commodity ETFs to debut in recent years is the United States Commodity Index Fund (USCI), which is the result of a collaboration between United States Commodity Funds, the firm behind the ultra-popular UNG and USO, and Summerhaven.

Posted in Spotlight | Tagged | 1 Comment

Precious Metals Roundup: Gold Leads, Silver Lags

Last week saw no shortage of activity in global equity markets–not by a long shot. Greece once again dominated the headlines, as a back-and-forth plan for a referendum took markets by surprise on multiple times throughout the week, ultimately ending with a plan that seemed to point to Greece’s continued inclusion in the currency bloc. The ongoing debt saga in Europe distracted investors in part from an abundance of activity on the domestic front, including another major bankruptcy and a long-awaited IPO to close out the week.

Posted in Daily Commodity Roundup, Gold, Palladium, Platinum, Precious Metals, Silver | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Commodity ETP Spotlight: DJCI In Focus

Just a few short years after the introduction of the first exchange-traded commodity product, there are dozens of options available for investors interested in accessing this asset class that is capable of delivering big returns and meaningful diversification benefits. Most investors are familiar with only the largest and most popular of these products, but those willing to dig a bit deeper will uncover some very intriguing investment opportunities [see also Seven Reasons To Hate Gold As An Investment]. Today we profile the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index Total Return ETN (DJCI), a product from UBS that offers broad-based exposure to a basket of futures contracts.

Posted in Commodity ETF Analysis, Exclusive | 1 Comment

Ultimate Guide To Lead Investing

Lead is a heavy metal that has been used for thousands of years in a wide variety of applications, including building and construction. Lead deposits are abundant in many regions around the world, and the metal is relatively easy to extract from the ground. Because it is widely used in construction and other industrial applications, lead has some appeal to investors looking to bet on increased demand for raw materials. There are a number of different options for investing in lead, including exchange-traded futures contracts, stocks of companies engaged in the extraction and sale of the metal, and exchange-traded products [see also The Guide To The Biggest Companies In Every Major Commodity Sector].

Posted in Commodity ETFs, Commodity Futures, Industrial Metals, Lead | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

UBS Unveils Natural Gas, Crude Oil ‘Contango ETNs’

This article originally appeared on ETFdb.com. The latest innovation in the commodity ETP space came from UBS on Thursday, as the company rolled out a pair of products designed to exploit contango in two of the most heavily-traded energy futures markets. The new ETRACS Natural Gas Futures Contango ETN (GASZ) and ETRACS Oil Futures Contango ETN (OILZ) will be linked to indexes maintained by ISE that effectively maintain short exposure to front month contracts and long exposure to mid-term futures contracts.

Posted in Commodity ETFs, Energy, Investment Vehicles, Natural Gas, New ETF Launches, WTI | Leave a comment

Precious Metals ETFs: Finding The Best Fit

This story originally appeared on ETFdb.com. ETFs have emerged as popular tools for establishing exposure to a wide variety of asset classes, ranging from U.S. Treasuries to Vietnamese equities. But few corners of the exchange-traded product world have seen more explosive growth in recent years than precious metals, as investors have embraced these vehicles as the most efficient way to access assets that have turned in some monster performance numbers in recent years. The 21 ETFs in the Precious Metals ETFdb Category have more than $83 billion in aggregate assets, representing about 8% of the total ETP industry. That’s a massive total for an asset class that generally accounts for a relatively minor portion of long-term portfolios, reflecting the appeal of the low maintenance and low fees offered by the exchange-traded structure.

Posted in Asset Allocation, Commodity ETFs, Gold, Palladium, Platinum, Precious Metals, Silver | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments
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