"The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2004" is the first issue of a new biennial publication that aims to present commodity market issues in an objective and accessible way to policy-makers, commodity market observers and all those interested in agricultural commodity market developments and their impacts on developing countries. It is intended to raise awareness of the impacts of international commodity price movements on the livelihoods and food security of hundreds of millions of people in the developing world as well as the economies of dozens of developing countries that depend on commodity exports for a substantial part of their export earnings or on food imports for a substantial share of their available food supplies.

"The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2004" is the first issue of a new biennial publication that aims to present commodity market issues in an objective and accessible way to policy-makers, commodity market observers and all those interested in agricultural commodity market developments and their impacts on developing countries. It is intended to raise awareness of the impacts of international commodity price movements on the livelihoods and food security of hundreds of millions of people in the developing world as well as the economies of dozens of developing countries that depend on commodity exports for a substantial part of their export earnings or on food imports for a substantial share of their available food supplies.

This report presents highlights and analyses of world market developments affecting agricultural, fishery, and forestry products. Information is presented both in general and for over 20 specific commodities.

This book argues that the viability of many observed market and non-market interventions in agricultural products worldwide depends considerably on the underlying behaviour of the relevant commodity markets. Many of these policies have had distortive impacts, resulting in much discussion and controversy in the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round of trade negotiations. Despite the long history of studies of commodity market behaviour, a number of issues remain unresolved. The authors review a wide range of these issues and provide a survey of current methodological and empirical research to increase our understanding of the nature of commodity markets. Price behaviour and the reliability of different prediction methods are examined and the particular implications for commodity dependent developing countries are also highlighted. This state-of-the-art survey of agricultural commodity market behaviour will prove to be of immense interest to researchers, students and academics in the fields of agricultural market analysis, development studies and economics. The book will also strongly appeal to policymakers in both agricultural trading countries and international agencies and to private commodity market analysts.

Originally published in 1989, this book is a clear and thorough guide to the workings and purpose of the futures markets. It begins by explaining the role of futures and options in agriculture and their uses in reducing risks and maximizing profits. The state of the futures industry in the USA, Europe, Japan and the smaller exchanges elsewhere during the 1980s is examined, the pattern of price movements analysed, and the major background factors which influence price movements discussed. The regulatory environment in the US and UK is analysed, and there is a thorough explanation of fundamental and technical approaches to price forecasting and of strategies to maximize profits from trading. Detailed profiles of the major agricultural commodities traded on futures markets comprise the second part of this comprehensive handbook. The major markets, price movements, and trading opportunities are outlined for each commodity in turn. The book concludes by discussing the contemporary issues facing futures trading, and the role of the markets in the agricultural trade of developing countries.