The economy is constantly changing. And it is greatly influenced by certain economic indicators that can affect the prices of commodities like oil and gas, agricultural products, etc. These commodities are essential in sustaining the financial market of an economy, and their increase or decrease in value largely depends on the supply and demand flow.
Therefore, it is essential for businesses that focus on trading with commodities to understand the role that supply and demand play in the prices of commodities. This article will explore how supply and demand can influence commodity prices.
Inflation
Inflation, as a crucial economic indicator, directly influences commodity prices. It measures the rate at which commodity prices increase, which can be monitored using an economic calendar. The impact of inflation on commodity prices is because of several ways.
For example, high inflation reduces the purchasing power of money, which means it takes more dollars to acquire the same quantity of products or services. This can enhance demand for commodities like gold, silver, and other precious metals, which are commonly used as a store of value during times of inflation.
Changes in interest rates also might have an impact on commodity prices. When inflation is strong, central banks may raise interest rates in an attempt to relax the economy and keep prices under control. Increased interest rates can cause the currency to strengthen, making commodities denominated in that currency more expensive for international buyers.
So, as the value of currencies decreases during inflation, investors use commodities as a buffer to serve as a hedge against financial loss.
However, this strategy tends to backfire due to increased demand for using commodities. This increase may not be compensated for in terms of supply, meaning that the demand would greatly outweigh the supply of the commodity. Furthermore, the increase in demand and insufficiency in supply would be a factor in increasing commodity prices.
Employment data
Employment data also affects a country’s economy’s financial market. Employment data as an economic indicator is often seen as a lagging indicator that reflects the past economic activity of a particular country. For example, an increase in a country’s employment rate translates directly to a reduced unemployment rate. This increases the standard of living substantially, enabling people to have more to spend on communities. Typically, this raises the demand level to the degree that the supply level may not sustain.
The reverse results in low commodity prices, allowing businesses trading in commodities to experience low demand.
Economic activity
Many countries are involved in the importing and exporting of a variety of commodities, like raw materials or products like oil and food supplies.
If a country’s financial market is struggling, economic activity is affected. This leads to the reduction of the importation of commodities. Hence, the reduced level of importation affects the commodities, which are volatile assets, and leads to a decrease in demand, which in turn causes a decline in the prices of commodities.
Aside from being consumed, commodities can also be traded. This means you can be interested in commodities either as a business owner or an investor. However, commodities are seen as volatile assets because of how easily they are influenced by economic indicators like supply and demand.
When the prices of commodities are influenced, the trading market, in turn, is affected. And by actively monitoring economic indicators that affect supply and demand, such as inflation, employment data, and economic activity, it would be easy for you to understand how the trading market can affect your business.
