New evidence on commodity stocks

This paper investigates whether commodity-related equities (commodity stocks) should be included in investors' portfolios. In light of the recent financialization of commodity futures markets, it examines the diversification benefits derived from investing in commodity stocks and compares them with those derived from commodity futures. The empirical evidence indicates that over the prefinancialization period, commodity futures provide superior diversification benefits whereas over the postfinancialization period, commodity stock investing is more profitable. Further analysis on the relationship between commodity futures and stock markets reveals that the investor can use price-based signals from futures markets to achieve high commodity stock returns.