Wheat trading is about making predictions about price movements, up or down, without actually owning the underlying commodity. You can speculate on price changes, both up and down.
Because it is a natural product that is grown, harvested, and processed for human use, wheat is considered a "soft" commodity.
Wheat is traded on specialized markets, much like stocks. The main distinction is that wheat can be bought and sold at current or future prices, which is an important consideration for traders. Political, seasonal and weather factors, as well as current events or news, can all have an impact on wheat prices.
There are several ways you can trade wheat. Take the following steps to get started:
Trading with Plus500 allows you to bet on a variety of financial markets, including currencies, indices, and commodities. CFDs are derivatives. With Plus500, you can trade wheat with CFDs and make predictions on its price without owning the underlying asset. This is because you are not trading the actual market, but only the price obtained from the underlying market.
The ability to make predictions about price changes in any direction is one of the main advantages of CFD trading. Also, because CFDs are leveraged, you can access large positions for much less money. But keep in mind that profits and losses can increase from your initial investment, as they are based on the size of the overall position.
The grain market is influenced by a variety of variables, just like any other commodity market. One of the most important factors in the wheat crop is the weather. Although it is a resilient crop, severe droughts or floods will negatively impact the wheat supply. This tends to speed up the harvesting and manufacturing of all wheat products, which increases the price of wheat in the market. The majority of the wheat futures market charts indicate an increase in demand for these products. However, variables such as a change in import regulations could have an impact on wheat speculation and therefore the speculative price of wheat.
Since production costs can vary depending on the type of grain crop used, new agricultural technologies can also have an impact on the price of wheat. This could lead to a crop surplus and a temporary drop in cash prices.
The world's largest wheat producers are the European Union, which produces 160,012 thousand tons of wheat per year, China (130,190) and India (86,530).
The nations with the highest food costs and the greatest demand for wheat are often those that are also the poorest. Other nations that use the most wheat are those that expand the import and export of meat or other "wheat-fed" products for livestock.
Wheat consumption in a country will be directly influenced by other competing products whose supply is decreasing or whose costs are increasing, so it is essential to keep this in mind.
China consumes 124,000 (thousand tons) of wheat per year, followed by India with 123,725 (thousand tons), and Australia, which feeds large amounts of livestock with wheat.
By buying and selling wheat futures contracts, wheat producers and consumers can reduce the risk associated with the price of wheat. In this wheat trading technique, producers will use a short hedge to set the price at which they will sell their crop, and consumers will use a long hedge to set the price at which they will buy it.
Conversely, traders take the price risk that hedgers avoid in exchange for a gain from a change in the price of wheat. Traders buy the commodity when they expect prices to rise; conversely, they do the opposite when they expect a sale. By following the wheat market, traders can monitor the evolution of this commodity.
It is essential for grain traders to keep abreast of weather forecasts as well as political and legislative developments that will directly influence wheat producing countries, as consumption and seasonal production impact these markets. This is the only method to fully understand the expected evolution of commodities over time.
In order to succeed in trading Wheat, you need to have a solid understanding of how the market works. Fortunately, there are a plethora of tools available at your fingertips.
Demo accounts in Plus500 for example should not be taken for granted, so consider practicing wheat trading using paper funds rather than your own capital. On a final note, we recommend that you stick to regulated brokers, to protect yourself from the many sharks in the wheat trading space.