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Financial education · MarktUnion

Commodities and goods

Commodities respond to inflation, geopolitics and supply shocks. Learn hedging basics without futures complexity.

1 lesson~3 min readBeginner friendly

What you'll learn

  • What moves gold, oil and gas prices, and how fast
  • How commodities behave differently from stocks
  • How large a commodity sleeve typically is (5–15%)
  • Which macro signals matter: OPEC, inventories, USD strength

Lesson 01~3 min read

Commodities and goods

Commodities are 'real' assets in an economic sense: metal in the mine, a barrel of oil, gas in the pipeline. Prices react brutally fast to supply and demand; geopolitics, drought, pandemic and sanctions all go straight into the price.

Examples in this segment

  • GoldGOLD
  • SilverSILVER
  • WTI Crude OilWTI
  • Brent Crude OilBRENT

Gold (GOLD) has been used for centuries as a store of value and hedge against inflation and political crisis. It pays no dividend; you gain or lose only from price change. Silver (SILVER) is more volatile, driven by industrial demand plus monetary narrative.

Brent oil (BRENT) and WTI (WTI) are global benchmarks. OPEC+ decisions, Cushing inventories, refinery capacity and Chinese industrial demand move the price. Oil is highly levered to global growth.

Physical storage of gold and oil barrels is impractical for retail investors. ETFs, ETNs and futures enable exposure, each with different risks (contango in futures can eat returns).

Commodities in a portfolio often act as a diversifier; correlation with stocks is not always 1:1. In some crises gold rises while stocks fall; in others (liquidity crisis) everything falls together.

ESG and the energy transition are changing the long-term demand profile for fossil fuels, but the transition takes decades, not quarters.

NoteCommodity trading can involve futures and leverage, with risk of losing your entire capital.

Interactive section

Practice & market data

Select an instrument below to see its description, key risks and a real-time TradingView chart. Content is for educational purposes only.

GOLDCommodities

Gold

Gold is a traditional store of value and hedge against inflation and geopolitical uncertainty.

Key features

  • —Safe haven asset
  • —Inflation hedge
  • —Portfolio diversification

Risks

  • !No dividends or yield
  • !Price depends on the dollar and interest rates
  • !Storage of physical gold

Keep learning

Continue withDigital assetsTechnology, volatility and EU rules, no hype, clear risk warnings.Open moduleCompound interest calculatorApply what you've learned, and see how regular savings and fees change the outcome over decades.Open calculator

All content on this page is educational and does not constitute investment, legal or tax advice. Investing involves risk, including the loss of capital.