The world´s largest commodity futures exchange is the New York-based Merchantile Exchange (NYMEX). Metals, energy products, agricultural commodities are traded on this exchange. Founded in 1848, the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) is the world´s oldest futures exchange and is part of the CME Group. More than 50 different forward transactions are handled by over 3,600 CBOT members via floor and electronic trading.
Futures and options on different goods are mainly traded on the CME, the Chicago Merchantile Exchange. Industrial metals such as aluminium, copper, lead, nickel, tin and zinc are traded on the London Metal Exchange (LME). Copper and aluminium are also traded on the NYMEX in New York, the LME enjoys an almost monopolistic status on all other metals.
The ICE Futures in London (formerly known as the International Petroleum Exchange, IPE) is a trading platform for the crusial European commodity that is Brent Crude (North Sea Oil). It is the largest and leading futures exchange for options as well as for futures on crude oil, natural gas and electricity in Europe. According to the oil industry association, 90% of the market participants trade oil derivates exclusively for speculative purposes. They try to make profit through the price changes, but are not interested in owning the oil in physical form.
GOLD
The gold content in the continental crust is about 4 grams per 1000 tons of rock. The proportion varies by region. Gold is predominantly solid on earth, that is, in elemental, metallic form. Primary it is found in gold ore as gold-bearing rock.
Nearly half of the gold produced comes from the Republic of China, Australia, the United States of America, Russia and Canada. The world's deepest gold mines are in South Africa. There, gold is mined almost 4000 meters below the surface of the earth. At the beginning of 2011, the mining company AngloGold Ashanti was already planning shafts up to 5000 meters deep. In total, about 2,700 localities are documented worldwide.
As long as the early earth did not have a solid crust, all gold has draged down into the earth's core due to its high density. All we find is gold which has come to earth after crusting or has returned to its surface through volcanic activity.
According to reports, B.C. produced and used in Egypt and by Indians. Symbol Pt, atomic number 78 in the periodic table. Hans Merensky, a German geologist, discovered huge platinum occurrences near Johannesburg in South Africa in 1924. To the right: Rustenburg Platinum Mine in South Africa. Skip truck transports platinum ore. Mining security inspectors in the foreground.
A platinum crown, in which the famous 108.93 carat diamond Koh-I-Noor (Mountain of Light) is set, adorns the crown jewels of the British royal family. Platinum has a higher weight than gold and is mainly mined in South Africa, Russia, Canada, USA, Colombia and Zimbabwe.
PALLADIUM
Palladium is used for industrial manufacturing, electronics and medicine. It´s an electrode material in fuel cells of hydrogen-powered cars. White gold is a gold-palladium alloy with a gold content of 60-80%.
It is traded at the New York Merchantile Exchange (COMEX) and on the London Buillon Market.
Silver has the highest electrical an thermal conductivity. It´s about 20 times more common than gold. Peru was considered to be the largest silver producer at the beginning of the 21st century. Since this precious metal is increasingly being rececled, known natural occurences are conserved.
It is traded at the London Buillon Market, listed on our platform with the abbreviation "XAG".