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Commodity Currencies Explained (Part I)

By:
Sébastien Bischeri
Published: Nov 15, 2021, 15:57 UTC

Ever think of commodities when trading currencies? Or vice-versa? What do Brazilian reals have to do with soybeans, or Indian rupees with diamonds?

Commodity Currencies Explained (Part I)

Let’s start by defining what could be called a commodity currency (or commodity pair).

Generally, a commodity currency represents a currency from a country or geographical zone that produces specific commodities which will account for most of its exports.

Some examples of currencies which could be considered as commodity currencies are presented in the following table:

Currencies Top Material Exports
Argentine peso (ARS) Soybean meal ($8.81B), corn ($6.19B), delivery trucks ($3.83B), soybeans ($3.47B), soybean oil ($3.38B), bran ($292M), other vegetable residues and waste ($232M), and ground nut oil ($131M)
Australian dollar (AUD) Iron ore ($67.5B), coal briquettes ($51.5B), petroleum gas ($34.1B), gold ($25.4B), aluminium oxide ($5.6B), sheep and goat meat ($3.07B), and wool ($2.26B)
Brazilian real (BRL) Soybeans ($26.1B), crude petroleum ($24.3B), iron ore ($23B), corn ($7.39B), sulfate chemical wood pulp ($7.35B), poultry meat ($6.55B), frozen bovine meat ($5.67B) and raw sugar ($5.33B)
Canadian dollar (CAD) Crude petroleum ($67.8B), cars ($40.9B), gold ($14.6B), refined Petroleum ($12.3B), vehicle parts ($10.8B), sawn wood ($6.35B), raw aluminium ($5.45B), potassic fertilizers ($5.27B), rapeseed ($3.23B), and rapeseed oil ($2.6B)
Indian rupee (INR) Refined petroleum ($39.2B), diamonds ($22.5B), packaged medicaments ($15.8B), jewellery ($14.1B), cars ($7.15B), Rice ($6.9B), Crustaceans ($4.67B), and Non-Retail Pure Cotton Yarn ($2.86B)
Indonesian rupiah (IDR) Coal briquettes ($20.3B), palm oil ($15.3B), petroleum gas ($8.32B), cars ($4.52B), gold ($4.01B), lignite ($2.91B), stearic acid ($2.76B), uncoated paper ($2.37B), and coconut oil ($1.9B)
Malaysian ringgit (MYR) Integrated circuits ($63B), refined petroleum ($17.8B), petroleum gas ($11.5B), semiconductor devices ($9.65B), palm oil ($8.91B), rubber apparel ($4.37B), other vegetable oils ($1B), copper powder ($873M), asphalt mixtures ($417M), and platinum clad metals ($127M)
Mexican peso (MXN) Cars ($53.1B), computers ($32.4B), vehicle parts ($31.2B), delivery trucks ($26.9B), crude petroleum ($26.6B), tractors ($10.7B), beer ($5.07B), tropical fruits ($3.6B), and railway freight cars ($3.57B)
New Zealand dollar (NZD) Concentrated milk ($5.73B), sheep and goat meat ($2.62B), rough wood ($2.31B), butter ($2.29B), frozen bovine meat ($2.09B), casein ($613M), and honey ($237M)
Nigerian naira (NGN) Crude Petroleum ($46B), petroleum gas ($7.78B), scrap vessels ($2.26B), flexible metal tubing ($2.1B), and cocoa beans ($715M)
Peruvian nuevo sol (PEN) Copper ore ($12.2B), gold ($6.76B), refined petroleum ($2.21B), zinc ore ($1.65B), and refined copper ($1.62B), animal meal and pellets ($1.54B), lead ore ($1.01B), fish oil ($434M), and buckwheat ($139M)
Russian ruble (RUB) Crude petroleum ($123B), refined petroleum ($66.2B), petroleum gas ($26.3B), coal briquettes ($17.6B), wheat ($8.14B), semi-finished iron ($6.99B), coal tar oil ($4.49B), raw nickel ($4.03B), and nitrogenous fertilizers ($3.05B)
South African rand (ZAR) Gold ($16.8B), platinum ($9.62B), cars ($7.61B), iron ore ($6.73B), and coal briquettes ($5.05B), manganese ore ($3.16B), chromium ore ($1.92B), titanium ore ($583M), and niobium, tantalum, vanadium, and zirconium ore ($480M)
Swiss franc (CHF) Gold ($59B), packaged medicaments ($46.2B), blood, antisera, vaccines, toxins, and cultures ($32.9B), base metal watches ($13.6B), jewellery ($10.9B), precious metal watches ($7.32B), and hydrazine or hydroxylamine derivatives ($501M)
US dollar (USD) Refined petroleum ($84.9B), crude petroleum ($61.9B), cars ($56.9B), integrated circuits ($41.4B), vehicle parts ($41.2B), medical instruments ($29.5B), gas turbines ($28.1B), aircraft parts ($16.3B), and orthopedic appliances ($12.1B)
Vietnamese dong (VND) Broadcasting equipment ($42.3B), telephones ($18.2B), integrated circuits ($15.5B), textile footwear ($10.6B), and leather footwear ($6.43B), coconuts, Brazil nuts, and cashews ($3.16B), fuel wood ($2.05B), cement ($1.39B), metal-clad products ($1.37B), and cinnamon ($175M)
West African CFA franc (XOF) Gold ($11.66B), cocoa beans ($3.84B), refined petroleum ($2.64B), rubber ($1.08B), raw cotton ($1.04B), and crude petroleum ($941M), cocoa paste ($795M), other oily seeds ($407M), Phosphoric Acid ($346M), coconuts, Brazil nuts, and cashews ($280M), ground nuts ($192M), zinc ore ($173M), raw zinc ($155M), electricity ($141M), cocoa shells ($115M), calcium phosphates ($95.7M), radioactive chemicals ($59.6M), rough wood ($59.5M), raw copper ($49.4M), Petroleum Gas ($42.5M), non-fillet frozen fish ($356.1M), other vegetable residues ($25.4M), and aluminium ore ($3.17M)

Data: The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC)

(Bold: products which the country/economic area was the world’s biggest exporter in 2019)

For active trading purposes, the ones highlighted in yellow would be characterised as freely floating and more liquid currencies. Thus, they would also be more accessible and less costly (with lower fees) to trade.

For hedging purposes, the others would present some advantages to the commercialisation of their associated natural resources, even though they would rather be considered more exotic currencies.

Charts

Here is a representation of some key commodity currencies presented in the above table on a weekly timeframe against the US dollar (reference currency):

Graphical user interface, chart, applicationDescription automatically generated

Each chart was represented within 2-standard deviation Bollinger Bands based on a 20-period simple moving average (in orange), a 50-period simple moving average (blue curve), a 200-period simple moving average (the black curve) and in the pane below is a 14-period relative strength index (in blue) to which was applied a 9-period simple moving average (red curve).

All those charts are displayed over a 2-year historical period.

In the next article I’ll focus on highlighting some correlations which may exist between key natural resources and the currencies in which they are usually traded.

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Thank you.

For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar.

Sebastien Bischeri
Oil & Gas Trading Strategist

* * * * *

The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits’ associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data’s accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits’ employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.

 

About the Author

Sebastien Bischeri is a former Reserve Officer in the French Armed Forces (Navy), and began his career in computer science and engineering, prior to move into banking, finance, and trading. He has worked as a contractor with top banks, firms, government departments, MNCs, SMEs and start-ups over the past decade, where he’s gained extensive knowledge of commodities, economic intelligence, energy, financial markets, investments, risks, and strategy (both as a Trader and Analyst).

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