Investor interest in commodities has surged in recent years, the result of both a prolonged rally in natural resource prices and the development of new vehicles that facilitate access to this asset class. Specifically, the launch of a robust lineup of exchange-traded products that utilize both physical commodities and commodity futures contracts has brought commodities to the masses; they’re no longer reserved for the largest and most sophisticated investors. Commodities have obvious appeal to active investors looking to generate profits from short-term price movements; the volatility of this asset class is ideal for risk-tolerant individuals who actively monitor their positions. But commodities may also have appeal to the long-term, buy-and-hold crowd; this asset class has the potential to bring both diversification and return enhancement to traditional stock-and-bond portfolios [see also 12 High-Yielding Commodities For 2012]. Of course, along with those potentially appealing attributes comes plenty of risk; the path to … See the full story here →