How to Learn Commodity Trading | StoneX

Commodity futures offer market participants a variety of deep, volatile markets. Whether you’re trading metal, energy, or agricultural contracts, each day brings the promise of opportunity. If you’re an active trader searching for new frontiers, don’t miss out on the potential of the commodity futures markets.

Want to Learn Commodity Trading? Check Out These Three Resources.

Before you can trade anything successfully, it’s essential to understand the basics. Fortunately, you’ll find many different tools designed to acquaint market newbies with the idiosyncrasies of commodities.

In the contemporary marketplace, individuals commonly use three types of resources to learn commodity trading: formal training, online educational materials, and working with a broker. Read on to learn how these resources can help you get up to speed quickly without relying on other information sources.

1. Formal Training

Formal training is one way to learn commodity trading. Here are three popular training methods for aspiring commodities traders:

• Seminars: In-person and online seminars provide insights into entrepreneurship, real estate, and even futures trading. Futures seminars are available periodically, in an online, local, or regional capacity.
• One-on-one instruction: Much like taking guitar lessons from a musician, you can take advantage of the services of a dedicated futures trading instructor. Although this mode of learning may be the most efficient, it’s not the cheapest option.
• Proprietary firms: Joining a proprietary trading firm is a tried-and-true approach to becoming a professional commodities futures trader. Prop firms teach traders their customized approach to the markets before looking to the trader to generate consistent returns. Joining a prop firm may require an initial deposit and is largely a sink-or-swim proposition.

These three types of formal training are effective ways of learning to become a commodities trader. Each offers person-to-person interaction, an opportunity to trade, and third-party evaluation. However, formal training can be expensive and require substantial up-front capital to get started.

2. Online Educational Materials

If you’re not up to paying the freight on formal training or joining a prop firm, then self-educating is a viable option. In the online space, thousands of resources are available to help you learn commodity trading. Here are a few that can be especially useful:

• Expert blogs
• Professional webinars
• In-depth tutorials
• Comprehensive trading guides

3. Work with a Broker

Perhaps the best way to learn commodity trading is by commissioning the services of a competent broker. A good broker has the experience, expertise, and professionalism to enhance your education in a timely fashion. In addition, there are several things that only your broker can provide:

• Dialogue: Establishing a two-way dialogue with a commodity futures broker can be extremely beneficial. Trade ideas, ongoing market analysis, and regular insights—plus the standard client-broker Q&As—are great for learning all about the commodities markets.
• Trade simulator: Your broker can give you access to a trading simulator and a practice account. Simulators are used to observe the commodity markets in real time, place orders on the market, and manage positions―all risk-free. In reality, working on a simulator may be the best way to learn commodity trading.

Talking with a true market professional and practicing on a simulator are excellent ways of learning how to trade commodities. If you’re just starting out, don’t forget to consult your most valuable resource: your broker!

The global commodities markets are dynamic, complex atmospheres. To succeed in trading raw materials, such as crude oil, gold, beef, or wheat, your education needs to be comprehensive and ever-evolving.