What are commodity funds?

Commodity funds invest in raw materials or primary agricultural products, known as commodities. These funds invest in precious metals, such as gold and silver, energy resources, such as oil and natural gas, and agricultural goods, such as wheat. Commodity funds may also invest in the companies that produce these commodities.

What are some benefits of commodity funds?

Because of their unique makeup, commodity funds deliver several benefits to investors, including:

• Portfolio diversification. Historically, commodity funds have had low correlation with stock market movements, which makes them a valuable source of diversification in a portfolio.
• Protection against inflation. Commodity prices tend to rise with inflation, making commodities one of the few assets that benefits from inflation.
• Potential financial growth. Commodity prices rise and fall in tandem with supply and demand. The more a commodity is in demand, the higher its price will rise, delivering higher profits to the investor.

What are some types of commodity funds?

There are many different types of commodity funds, including:

• Index funds. These funds track an index that includes various commodity assets.
• Commodity funds. Known as "true" commodity funds, these funds invest directly in the underlying commodity asset. An example would be a commodity fund that holds a direct position in gold and oil.
• Futures-based commodity funds. These funds offer exposure to commodities through investing in futures contracts, without ever buying the actual commodity assets themselves. This type of investment can carry higher risk, due to the volatile nature of the futures contracts market.

What are the risks associated with investing in commodity funds?

Commodity funds have historically provided investors with an opportunity for diversification, downside protection and upside potential. However, as with all types of investment, commodity funds carry risk, and may not be right for every portfolio.

Commodity markets can be volatile, which can expose investors to the possibility of considerable price fluctuation. Commodities themselves and commodity companies are also exposed to political, economic, foreign currency and exploration risk.

What are some myths associated with commodity funds?

Myth #1:Commodity trading is too risky to be worthwhile.
Truth: Like all investments, commodity trading can carry risk. But commodities offer diversification and the potential for upside performance, among other benefits. BlackRock’s commodity funds are meticulously designed and professionally managed to help reduce risk and enable strong investor returns.

Myth #2: There is no way to know the degree of a commodity’s quality.
Truth: Exchange-traded commodities must meet a strict standard for quality. Exchanges subject commodities to careful inspection and audit procedures.

Myth #3: Commodity markets are very volatile.
Truth: Like stock markets, commodity markets can experience price swings. Commodities, however, benefit from price increases along with a rise in inflation, which mitigates some risk.

Why choose BlackRock for commodity fund investing?

BlackRock is the largest and most trusted asset manager in the world, with more than $5 trillion in total assets under management. Our commodity funds benefit from over 20 years of insight and experience. We offer a wide variety of commodity funds to help your portfolio meet your needs.

Featured commodity strategies funds

BlackRock offers three commodity strategies funds that offer broad exposure to a large basket of commodity opportunities.

Consult a financial professional to see whether a BlackRock commodity investment option might be right for you.

See standardized performance here.

Performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment returns and principal values may fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than that shown. All returns assume reinvestment of all dividend and capital gain distributions. Refer to blackrock.com for current month-end performance.