Commodity investing has become increasing popular in recent years as the exchange traded world has opened this once elusive asset class wide open. Still, one of the most effective ways to maintain exposure to your favorite hard asset remains through futures contracts. For the average investor, futures are typically too complex; they can be extremely dangerous, hard to understand, and require a specified account just to trade them. As such, many turn to futures-based ETFs and ETNs to gain their desired positions. While these products can be sound investments, investing in the futures yourself remains the most direct and potentially most profitable way to make a play on the commodity space [see also The Ten Commandments of Commodity Investing ]. See the full story here →