Want to buy commodities but don’t know who to trust? Our how-to list allows you to find the top commodity trading platforms in 2020.
This page helps you find a broker-platform to buy commodities such as gold and silver, with reasonable price quotes, good leverage, variety of tradable commodities, the lowest spreads and transparency, and properly regulated trading conditions. Our guide to commodities trading takes you through all the key criteria and explains the terms you need to know. Ready? Let’s go.
Where can I find the best commodities trading platform?
Right here! Our website enables you to shop for the best commodity exchange platforms, listing all the most important selection criteria at a glance. The most desirable platforms are regulated by top regulatory agencies, have intuitive platforms that make it easy to open an account and make deposits, and don’t charge exorbitant fees.
What are commodities brokers?
A commodities broker is an individual, online platform, or mobile app which allow you to buy and sell commodities. The best commodities trading platforms make it easy to open trades, giving everyday investors the same access to markets when trading oil, gold, and other commodities that big financial institutions have.
What is commodity trading?
Commodity trading is the buying and selling of basic goods and raw materials by individuals and institutions. Examples of commodities include gold, silver, oil, wheat, corn, cryptocurrency and many others. The goal of a commodities trade is to buy a contract at an attractive price, then sell it at a higher price to make a profit. By trading commodities online, you gain access to global markets and can trade without needing a huge bankroll.
How do broker platforms work?
Broker platforms enable clients to buy or sell commodities either online or via a mobile app. One trading method that has grown in popularity in recent years is the contract for difference (CFD) platform. CFD offers traders the ability to make money off movements in commodities prices, without having to own any actual barrels of oil or gold bars. These platforms use live price data, and automate the old, outmoded ways of traditional commodities trading.
So I don’t technically ‘own’ the assets I’m trading on a CFD platform?
Technically, no, you don’t own the assets. Instead, you own a contract that can be traded online, eliminating the hassle and security problems that come with trying to store, say, a barrel of oil or a bar of gold. You can trade these contracts quickly and seamlessly online, even buying and selling the same contract on the same day if you wish. For example, you could buy £100 worth or gold, then sell it for £110, thus making a 10% profit. That profit might occur within a matter of weeks or days, even hours or minutes.
What should I look for in a commodity broker service?
When shopping for the safest commodities account it pays to do your homework and find the platform that checks as many of the boxes below as possible.
- Find a regulated platform – Regulatory agencies impose sets of rules on specific broker platforms. Those rules include various safeguards for customers, such as making sure brokers have adequate capital, and auditing them to ensure compliance. In the United Kingdom, that agency is the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
- Variety of payment methods – Make sure you select a commodities platform that allows you to trade with a payment method that suits your needs. Typical payment methods for commodities trading include credit and debit card, bank transfers, wire transfers, and PayPal. The most popular method seems to be PayPal, so many brokers now offer PayPal as a way to deposit and withdraw funds.
- Suitable deposit and withdrawal limits – Deposit and withdrawal limits will vary from platform to platform, so make sure you pick an online commodities platform that suits your level of activity as a trader. As an example, IG, one of the biggest CFD trading platforms, lets you deposit up to £20,000 per day if you’re funding your account by card. For larger payments, IG recommends using bank transfers. On the flip side, the minimum withdrawal amount for an IG account is £100 or the available account balance, whichever is lower.
- Good reputation – The best commodities broker, like the best restaurant, should come with positive user reviews. Other ways to verify a platform’s reputation include awards, accolades, and positive publicity.
- Design and ease of use – You want a platform that makes trading as quick and easy as possible. One, because you don’t want to get confused and make the wrong trade. And two, because if you’re trying to buy or sell a commodity at a given price, you’d like to execute your trade as quickly as possible, to minimise potential price fluctuation.
Will I have to verify my broker account?
Yes. You need to verify your account to comply with financial service regulations. Verification will usually involve providing proof of identity and proof of address. This is often an automated process that simply requires you to upload a couple of documents such as a valid passport or driving license. In some cases, you might be required to take and upload a selfie too, for facial recognition purposes.
Is online commodities trading secure?
Yes. Reputable trading platforms use many of the same digital safeguards that you’ll find in a typical stock account run by a big brokerage like TD Ameritrade or Charles Schwab, to guard against hackers. Regulatory agencies provide further security by closely monitoring CFD platforms in places like the UK. Also, CFD services let you trade commodities without owning actual assets. So for instance, if you were trading gold contracts, you wouldn’t need to worry about the security or storage of your gold, because you’re only betting on the price movement of gold, rather than holding any actual gold yourself.
What if I forget my password?
Just like other online platforms, commodities trading accounts will allow you to reset your password using your email address and/or password recovery questions. Make sure to choose a secure password (ideally using non-common words, at least one capital letter, at least one digit, and at least one punctuation mark), so that others can’t access your account.
Can I trade multiple commodities contracts using brokers?
Yes, you can trade multiple commodities contracts on one platform. For instance, you could go long on gold (betting that its price will go up) and sell short on oil (betting that its price will go down) at the same time.
Do contract for difference (CFD) trading platforms charge fees for commodities trades?
That depends. If you’re holding regular commodity trades, there will often be fees for keeping your trades open overnight or over weekends. There can also be withdrawal fees. That said, with the rise of cryptocurrency as a payment option, many historical fees are no longer applicable.
What are the advantages of using a CFD platform for trading commodities?
With CFD trading, you can capitalise on the fluctuating prices of commodities. Trading on a CFD platform also enables you to use leverage when making trades, which is when you borrow money from a broker to give yourself a bigger position than you might be able to get solely from the money in your account. That way if the price of a commodity goes in the direction you’ve bet, you’ll make a bigger profit than you would if you’d only invested your own money. The platforms also enable you to sell a commodity contract short, meaning you’re speculating that its price will fall. Finally, CFD brokers let you make all of these trades without actually owning any physical amount of gold, oil, cryptocurrency, or other commodities.
And what are the drawbacks?
Buying any asset using leverage, be it commodities, stocks, or others, comes with increased risk; if you bet wrong, you’ll owe a lot more than you would have if you only invested your own money. Also, leaving open CFD trade positions can increase the costs you’ll have to pay. Generally speaking, trading CFDs requires a higher level of expertise than more conventional investment platforms; the majority of retail investors who trade on CFD exchanges end up losing money.
Should I use a CFD trading platform?
That depends on your goals, and your risk tolerance. If you want to trade commodities like oil or cryptocurrency quickly and easily without worrying about keeping those assets safe from hackers, and you’re fluent in the ins and outs of CFD trading, it can be an excellent choice.
