In your search for the best commodity trading broker, you will find that tradable assets are divided into three main categories. These categories are "metals", "energies" and "agriculture". Let us give you a clearer idea of what these categories consist of.

Metal Goods

We all know what metal is. However, did you know that "precious metals" like gold are often used by traders to hedge against inflation and economic turmoil? Tradable metals can include industrial products such as lead, copper and recycled steel. The most traded metals in the world are gold, silver and platinum. Especially when it comes to gold, most trading platforms will reward you with competitive spreads and high liquidity.

We have talked about the most popular metals. Although not every broker offers them, there are other markets as well.

Below you will find a list of other tradable metals:

•     Lead
•     Copper
•     Molybdenum
•     Zinc
•     Cobalt
•     Aluminum
•     Aluminum alloy
•     Super
•     Molybdenum
•     Tin

As mentioned earlier, most brokers stick to gold and silver in the metals section, as they have the largest trading volume.

Energy commodities

As we have already touched upon, commodities include energies such as coal, gas and oil. The latter are almost always traded in US dollars and in barrels.

•     The U.S. oil market is priced according to the WTI benchmark
•     The rest of the oil market uses the Brent crude benchmark

As with any other asset, the value of energy is determined by market demand and supply. Demand and supply  in trading de criptomonedas can also shift due to events such as geopolitical unrest as well as OPEC changing supply levels. In other words, if OPEC were to make the decision to stop or slow oil production, the price would likely increase.

Below is a list of tradable energies, keeping in mind that not every broker can provide access to the same markets:

•     Brent crude oil
•     WTI crude oil
•     Sweet crude oil
•     Light crude oil
•     Ethanol
•     Gulf Coast Gasoline
•     Natural Gas
•     Propane
•     Heating oil
•     Uranium

In terms of trading volume, activity in the Energy Division is dominated by oil and natural gas.

Agricultural commodities

Agricultural commodities are traded globally and most are in high demand. However, at the risk of repeating ourselves, the value of a commodity changes frequently. This is mainly due to the nature of supply and demand and events that influence this.

Agricultural commodities include the following recognizable products:

•     Corn
•     Soybeans
•     Wheat
•     Cocoa
•     Sugar
•     Coffee
•     Frozen concentrated orange juice

Livestock and meat products include:

•     Feeder cattle
•     Live cattle
•     Lean pigs

The majority of agricultural commodities will be quoted to you in U.S. dollars. You may also notice that some trading platforms refer to commodities as "hard" and "soft".

•     Soft commodities are used in reference to the agricultural side of things
•     Hard commodities include metals or oil that need to be mined or extracted.

In terms of trading volume, agricultural commodities are nowhere near as popular as precious metals and energies. However, they still offer many trading opportunities, so you shouldn't necessarily discount them.