Facts and Fantasies About Commodity Futures

41 Pages Posted: 25 May 2006 Last revised: 15 Dec 2022

See all articles by Gary B. Gorton

Gary B. Gorton

Yale School of Management; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Yale University - Yale Program on Financial Stability

K. Geert Rouwenhorst

Yale School of Management - International Center for Finance

Multiple version iconThere are 3 versions of this paper

Date Written: June 2004

Abstract

We construct an equally-weighted index of commodity futures monthly returns over the period between July of 1959 and March of 2004 in order to study simple properties of commodity futures as an asset class. Fully-collateralized commodity futures have historically offered the same return and Sharpe ratio as equities. While the risk premium on commodity futures is essentially the same as equities, commodity futures returns are negatively correlated with equity returns and bond returns. The negative correlation between commodity futures and the other asset classes is due, in significant part, to different behavior over the business cycle. In addition, commodity futures are positively correlated with inflation, unexpected inflation, and changes in expected inflation.

Suggested Citation

Gorton, Gary B. and Rouwenhorst, K. Geert, Facts and Fantasies About Commodity Futures (June 2004). NBER Working Paper No. w10595, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=559245

Gary B. Gorton (Contact Author)

Yale School of Management ( email )

165 Whitney Ave
P.O. Box 208200
New haven, CT 06511
United States

HOME PAGE: http://mba.yale.edu/faculty/profiles/gorton.shtml

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Yale University - Yale Program on Financial Stability

165 Whitney Avenue
P.O. Box 208200
New Haven, CT 06520-8200
United States

K. Geert Rouwenhorst

Yale School of Management - International Center for Finance ( email )

165 Whitney Avenue
P.O. Box 208200
New Haven, CT 06520-8200
United States
203-432-6046 (Phone)
203-432-8931 (Fax)

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
973
Abstract Views
16,160
Rank
162
PlumX Metrics