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 March 21st to March 28th.
- Oil prices held mostly flat this week as rising global production and U.S. supplies kept prices level.
- A rise in the value of the U.S. dollar and lessening geopolitical tension hurt gold and copper prices this week.
- Wheat prices fell again this week on a weaker-than-expected export trade report and a change in weather conditions.
- Be sure to go over our previous edition to keep up to date with the events happening in the global commodities space.
Weekly Market Wrap-up
Energy – Oil prices traded sideways this week as higher production and rising supplies dampened bullish activity while natural gas futures rose on higher demand.
- Oil – Oil prices held mostly flat for the week with crude oil trading at $64.38 per barrel as U.S. oil supplies rose and production continued to increase.
- Natural Gas – Natural gas prices were mixed for the week ending at $2.699 per million British thermal units after hitting a two-week high on Tuesday.
- Gasoline – The national average for one gallon of gas spiked this week to $2.635 as the market prepared for summer-blend gasoline.
Metals – Copper prices ended the week at $3.00 per ounce as a strengthening U.S. dollar put pressure on prices.
- Precious Metals – Gold prices dropped this week to $1,324.20 per troy ounce as the U.S. dollar surged higher and geopolitical risks eased.
- Other – Palladium prices fell again this week to $966 per ounce nearing a three-week low but could be poised for a bounce-back in the coming months.
Grains – Wheat futures for May dropped to $4.54 per bushel as a weaker-than-expected trade report combined with concerns over weather hurt prices.
- Corn and Soybeans – An improved outlook for soybeans helped lift prices this week as global demand remained strong.
Softs – Sugar prices were helped along this week by short covering buys by institutional investors.
If you are wondering which commodity might be right for you, check out our Commodity Investing Database.
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.
Commodity | Weekly Gain (%) | Contract Expiration | Contract Price (as of March 28th) | 52-Week Price Change |
---|---|---|---|---|
Natural Gas | 2.50% | 05/18/18 | $2.70 | $2.53 - $3.66 |
London Sugar | 0.71% | NA | $355.90 | $345 - $496 |
Heating Oil | 0.67% | 05/18/18 | $2.02 | $1.35 - $2.14 |
This week’s list of outperforming commodities was relatively thin with natural gas being the only commodity to post gains above 1% for the week. Natural gas gained on bullish speculation while sugar and heating oil rose slightly relative to other commodities.
Weekly Commodity ETF Movers
For ETF investors, we tracked the top three biggest gainers and top three biggest losers for the past week. Not included are ETN’s, which behave differently than ETF’s, as well as leveraged ETF’s which may not be suitable for some investors. Some ETF’s that have less than one year on the market have been excluded due to lack of long-term data.
Top Three ETF Winners This Week
ETF Ticker | ETF Name | Commodity Category | Assets ($MM) | NAV (as of March 28th) | Return (Weekly %) | Return (YTD %) | Expense Ratio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UHN | United States Diesel Heating Oil Fund | Heating oil | $7.62 | $19.01 | 4.91% | -1.71% | 0.75% |
BNO | United States Brent Oil Fund | Brent oil | $93.90 | $19.03 | 2.92% | 5.14% | 0.90% |
DGL | PowerShares DB Gold Fund | Gold | $196 | $42.60 | 2.70% | 3.00% | 0.75% |
This week’s list of best performing commodity-based ETFs were largely oil-based with the top two funds constituting heating oil and Brent oil. A gold fund rose as well despite the rise in the U.S. dollar that hurt gold prices this week.
Top Three ETF Losers This Week
ETF Ticker | ETF Name | Commodity Category | Assets ($MM) | NAV (as of March 28th) | Return (Weekly %) | Return (YTD %) | Expense Ratio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USAG | United States Agricultural Index Fund | Agriculture | $1.73 | $16.53 | -4.73% | 0.12% | 0.80% |
TAGS | Teucrium Agricultural Fund | Agriculture | $1.13 | $23.07 | -1.83% | 4.39% | 1.00% |
CPER | United States Copper Index Fund | Copper | $13.40 | $19.04 | -1.70% | -9.59% | 0.80% |
This week’s list of worst performing commodity-based ETFs were mostly agricultural funds hurt by a rise in the value of the U.S. dollar and concerns over weather conditions in agricultural areas. A copper fund posted losses this week as well as the metal tracked lower for the week on falling demand.
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.