Commodities Trading Training Course
This training course gives you examples of pricing & hedging commodities highlights the key concepts in commodity trading with elements drawn from real situations. You will also learn liquidity issues and lightly traded commodities.
Commodities Trading Training Course Overview
Within each session of this course, you will work on examples of pricing & hedging commodities. This course will highlight the key concepts involved in commodity trading with elements drawn from real situations. You will also cover liquidity issues and lightly traded commodities.Course agenda
Module 1The commodities which support life and those which enhance human existence on the planet.
- A historical perspective
- The rise of techniques to accept or reject risk
- Case study of wheat with special reference to the Chicago exchanges
- An overview of the exchanges and their influence
The drive for absolute returns versus relative returns.
The sustaining for life commodities.
- The “softs”
- The grain markets - the meat markets and the
tropical markets in cocoa, sugar, etc. - The sizing of these markets and the traditional participants
- New participants in the market
- The pricing of these commodities
- The cost of gathering/harvesting and storage
- Case Studies (Asian sessions only): CSR Sugar, Robusta Coffee-(Vietnam)
- Traditional hedging techniques
- The concept of basis trading. Supply and demand related issues
- Soya crush spreads and the inter-relationship to the meat markets
- Cropping variations
- Carry over
- Market impact
- Option trading
- The concept of price insurance
- The rise of the indexes
The industrial commodities
- The base metals
- LME, new mini contract
- Electronic platforms
- The cost to bring to market semi-finished material which is often found in inhospitable areas of the world
- Case study (UK & European sessions only): nickel Norlisk Russia
- Case study (Asian sessions only): Freeport, McMoran
- The lead/lag time for production
- Technical developments and reworking older mines
- The issue of current and future price projections
- Trading issues, hedging
- Case study (Asian sessions only): Mitsui Copper scandal
- Relative value in comparison with fixed income and equities
- Case study (UK & European sessions only): UK Treasury sales July 1999/March 2002
- Political and fiscal implications
- Silver
- Speculation
- Case study: Bunker Hunt’s attempted corner in 1979.
- Crude oil market
- Buying oil on Wall Street
- Case study: BP in the 1990’s
- The supply demand equation
- The exploration and extraction of oil
- An overview of the North Sea finds and their impact on the UK economy
- The reliance of the US economy on imported oil
- Trading in crude oil. Experiences from the Nymex
markets - The “crack” spread
- Heating oil and gasoline
- The seasonality of the trade
- When things go wrong
- Case study: Metalgesselschaft and crude oil
- Gas market
- Case study: Brian Hunter and Amaranth hedge fund
- Russian gas and Europe
- Case study: Ukraine 2006
Deregulation in markets with UK and US spotlighted
- Enron and Californian brownouts
- Case study: The role of the Canadian aluminium smelters
Who should attend this commodities trading course?
- Commodities traders
- Treasury staff
- Dealers and traders
- Capital markets professionals
- Investment professionals
- Trade finance staff
- Financial markets professionals
Why Ethan Hathaway training courses?
- Practical. Learn from experienced and active industry practitioners and what's being practiced by your peers.
- Applicable. Apply what you learn in your job and your career
- Specially designed courses by industry active experts for industry practitioners
- Quality Control. Each expert instructor is interviewed and vetted through our senior management and our 5-point instructor criteria.
- Valuable. Earn more revenue or save your organisation from monetary loss. You and your organisation will quickly earn back your investment on the course fee and more
- Enjoyable. Speakers who have a passion for their topic
- Clear. Turning complex concepts into easy to understand concepts
- Limited seats - each session is limited to between 18-25 seats
What do you receive from an Ethan Hathaway training course?
- You gain knowledge and skills that make you valuable to your company and your career
- Instruction by industry experts
- Course notes and reference package
- Daily lunch, snacks and refreshments
- Certificate of completion
- Meeting your industry peers
- Ask questions relevant to your job
Download the course brochure to learn more
Your course instructor
Hamish Tulloch: Following graduation at Edinburgh University Hamish entered the City of London joining a plantations company involved in natural rubber. He moved to the terminal market in London and as a broker/dealer rose to be a major force in the business. Elected to Pit committee chairman and additionally gained trading rights on the Cocoa market. He was a frequent business traveller to the US and throughout Europe. When the financial futures markets opened on LIFFE he was in charge of the floor team for a major London house. A move to an office based position saw him advising and dealing for HNW and institutional clients. Became Executive director of joint owned London Chicago company running the house account. Built teams and ran own company under the banner of the largest global FCM. Built a research unit at an economic advisory company and lastly was head of marketing in Asset Management at Reuters. Hamish has retained his lifelong interest in teaching and has PGCE and full current GTC status. Mentored colleagues and delivered seminars for banking groups on topics ranging from stock index options to commodities. A member of the Society of Technical Analysts.
Dates & Locations & Fees
| Date | Location | Venue | Course Fee | Early Bird Fee | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Sep - 1 Oct, 2010 | London, UK | TBA | £2797 | See Brochure | ![]() |
Early Birds Save Up To 30% Off the Regular Fee, download the brochure to learn more
Limited seats - Email us:
for availability.
* Venue, dates, course fees, promotions, course content, course instructor are all subject to change
Can't find a session in a city near you?
If there's no session scheduled in a city near you, you have the following options:
- In-house training: If you have a group of 8 or more, consider having us run this course in-house for you
- Co-sponsored training: Between 5-7 people, consider a co-sponsored course - you agree to send this set number of people to the course if we run it in a city near you and Ethan Hathaway sells the remaining seats to other companies
- Distance learning: Less than 5 people, consider distance training format: live trainer presents over phone lines/web at pre-scheduled times (available only for select courses)
- Just tell us where you want the course: Let us know which city you'd like us to run this course in - we'll plan it if there's enough demand
Email us at:
for more information regarding the above options.
Register for the course
You may book your place on the course by any of these methods:
- Online booking - simply click on the "Register Me" button next to the course date you wish to register and it will take you through our quick online registration procedure.
- Email us at:
- please include your full contact details. - Fax us the booking form (included in the brochure) to: +852 3014-0721
- Or call: +852 2273-4393 during normal office hours
Related Courses
- Technical Analysis
- Performance Measurement and Risk Analysis for Asset Management and Hedge Funds
- Hedge Fund Analysis & Modelling
- Introduction to Financial Markets
Learn more about this course


Inside the course information booklet you'll find:
- Detailed course agenda of what you'll learn
- Eligible discounts
- Our course quality guarantee
- Course expert biography
- Course venue details
- Cancellation & refund policies
- Course registration form
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