A primary commodity is a physical substance such as food and grains and metals, which is interchangeable with other products of the same type, and which investors buy or sell, usually through future contracts. More generally, a product which trades on a commodity exchange. Examples are iron and oil. On the supply side primary products account for about half, on average, of developing countries export earnings and many developing countries derive the bulk of their earnings from one or two commodities .

Why are primary commodities prone to price fluctuations in the short term?

Price Fluctuations are falls and rises in the prices of a good. Commodities are prone to fluctuations due to a number of reasons:

Year 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1998 1999 2000

Price 34 29 21 101 224 173 100 100 63 54 76

1. Primary Commodities are relatively inelastic. Primary commodities are like an

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