Commodities are perhaps the oldest and most durable of markets. After all, human beings will always need materials and always speculate on what the future might hold. The past few years and the rapid up-tech trend have seen what we understand to be the commodities market shift, with regulators even suggesting bitcoin should be traded as a commodity.
Bearing that in mind, you might be wondering what 2018 could hold. Which commodities are set to rise up the ranks again, like silver and gold ore- and which are set to fall? Will there be newcomers and disruptors, or more of the same?
Titanium
Titanium has found a niche in the past few decades for one big reason - paint. Titanium oxide, in its various forms, provides the basis and key ingredient of many of the paints you’ll see plastered on buildings globally. Whilst tubes and piping previously formed a big part of the market, they took a bit of a fall. However, as TMS Titanium have reported on, titanium has started to find new applications in medical and 3D printing. It’s even been reported, this week, that titanium is finding use in an exoskeleton for future warfare.
The strong and light qualities of the metal make it a decent bet when you’re looking for a new investment.
Copper
It might surprise you to see copper on this list. The much-maligned metal has faced a 5 year decline, reaching a 7-year low in March 2016. However, the metal is starting to pick up traction again and has made serious gains in the past year. The increase has led to exports booming the world over, including in Chile where copper has made a presidential candidate. With the trend set to carefully increase, it is worth investing - but keeping a close eye on, as copper can be a volatile market given the long time it takes to get production up and running. This is especially compared to…
Oil
Oil has had a tough time in recent years, despite oils famous versatility of uses. This has largely been down to a glut of surplus supplies on the market, driving prices ever further down, despite the presence of embargos on Russia, Iran and other oil producing countries. However, that surplus has been forecast to come to an end in the coming year and as a result it can predicted for the price to rise a decent amount - though increased US production under the Trump administration’s policies mean that price might not be a huge booster.
So, those are some of the very best commodities for 2018. Not exactly new or crafty, but certainly worth looking at and diversifying into.