Commodity Trader's Almanac 2011 For Active Traders of Futures, Forex, Stocks & ETFs

An indispensable resource for today's commodity and currency trader

The 2011 Edition of the Commodity Trader's Almanac, is an essential tool for professional traders, and can help you understand the complex and exciting world of commodities and foreign currencies.

Created in a similar fashion to the Stock Trader's Almanac-which has been trusted for over 40 years by traders and investors-the Commodity Trader's Almanac is a comprehensive guide featuring monthly strategies, patterns, trends, and trading techniques geared towards active investors of the major commodities and currencies, as well as ETFs, futures, and options.

• Helps you understand how commodity pricing works and offers great insight into investing in them
• Alerts you to little-known market patterns and tendencies to help forecast commodity market trends with accuracy and confidence
• Contains market highlights that cover key supply, demand, and seasonal tendencies on markets including crude oil, ethanol, and precious metals; critical agricultural products such as corn, wheat, and cattle; and foreign currencies

Intended for active traders and investors interested in making the most out of today's commodity, ETF, futures, options, and currencies resources, this guide will help you make more informed decisions as you look for greater profits in this arena.

 Press Release

In the fifth edition of the trader-tested and investor-approved COMMODITY TRADER’S ALMANAC, co-editors John Person, a 30-year veteran of the futures and options industry, and Stock Trader’s Almanac editor-in-chief Jeff Hirsch deliver several new trading strategies and features.

“The theme during the first half of 2010 was ‘Volatility Reigns Supreme,” according to Person. “Case in point, by late April, the S&P 500 stock index was up 9.2% year-to-date. Two weeks later, it was down 8.7% from the late April high and negative for the year! One great example is the new sugar trade featured on page 58. This demonstrates how traders need to be diversified in commodities or stocks that are correlated to the futures markets. Our mantra throughout the Almanac is to show readers how to accomplish this.”

Severe volatility in oil, precious metals, and food prices causes millions to be lost as well as gained in the commodities market. Despite the erratic ups and downs, there is a cyclical pattern to commodity markets, with weather, holidays, human behaviors and other factors impacting demand and supply, and ultimately, the price of a commodity. Incorporating the same format that has made Stock Trader’s Almanac the ultimate desktop market data bank for more than 44 years, the COMMODITY TRADER’S ALMANAC 2011 is a vital resource of historical reference, seasonal patterns, and proven trading tactics. The book includes monthly almanac pages; market highlights; pertinent statistics, historical strengths and weaknesses, seasonal tendencies, and information on the beginning and end for both rallies and breaks.

Seasonalities and their respective potential risks and rewards have been identified for 19 different commodities on both the long and the short side.  In addition to the top 13 traditional commodities, the almanac includes data for how the U.S. dollar fares against four of the top major currencies (the euro, Swiss franc, Japanese yen, and the British pound).

Last year, CTA added two markets, the S&P 500 index futures and the 30-Year Treasury Bonds. CTA 2011 gives additional guidance on how to invest in these asset classes and how these trades actually worked last year. Starting this year, the almanac now includes First Notice, Last Trade, and standard Option Expiration Days for all of the 19 markets covered.

The almanac also incorporates how to translate trading stocks and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) from the study of seasonal commodity and Forex cycles. This takes seasonal studies further by including examples of highly correlated stocks that trade in tandem with the respective commodities. One example is the relationship between the price move of gold against a related ETF like PowerShares DB Gold (DGL) and the price move of a specific stock in the industry, such as Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold (FCX). Detailed statistical data on past market price action; top technical timing tools designed to improve results, including tips on how to utilize Candlesticks and Pivot Points; the trading nuances of related markets; annual highs and lows for the top commodity markets; and reminder alerts are presented to help better time seasonal trades.

CTA 2011 shares more research from Person’s book Forex Conquered: High Probability Systems and Strategies for Active Traders, revealing some of Person’s favorite chart pattern recognition techniques for determining trade entries, risk, and stop placement. Charts and indicators from www.TradeStation.com have also been employed beside Person’s proprietary indicators in this year’s case studies and enhance the explanation of how traders can gain an edge using the vaunted COT report.

Intended as a tool to assist participants when entering a new position or deciding to either move a stop loss or add to a new position, COMMODITY TRADER’S ALMANAC discusses:

• How natural production and consumption cycles drive prices during specific times of the year
• How the futures markets often factor in demand and supply concerns prior to the actual event
• How similar, but different markets often react stronger or weaker to the natural consumption/production cycle
• That prices are often driven by regularly recurring patterns (or cycles) surrounding the calendar year and how often these patterns have continued or reversed

COMMODITY TRADER’S ALMANAC 2011 is an indispensible resource for traders seeking to capitalize on the growing commodity and futures markets.