Abstract:
The recent global economic recession pushed
investment funds and other players in the investment
world closer to tangible assets, luring them back to
commodities and especially to metals and agricultural
markets. As the present macro environment supports
commodities investing – especially investments in
agriculture, thanks to very low interest rates, weaker
currencies, a commodity boom, and as a hedge against
global inflation - the level of funds invested in
commodities increased by over 220% in the 2006-2011
period when compared to the previous five years’ time
(2000-2005). Meanwhile, estimates of an increasing
global population, rather extreme weather patterns
observed in recent years, decreasing crop yields and the
extraordinary growth in global ethanol and biodiesel
markets, focused the attention on cereals, sugar cane,
rapeseed and soy, as concerns of a possible very tight
supply situation might happen any time.
