Commodities Four-Year Winning Streak May Be Over

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Commodities are on track to halt four years of consecutive gains, despite large bets in related funds.

The S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index is down 0.03 percent this year, on track for its first annual loss since 2008, when it fell 43 percent.

At the same time, money invested in commodity funds is up 86 percent to $20.8 billion compared to 2011, according to data by EPFR Global.

Gold is the big winner in 2012, with nearly 84 percent of the funds invested in physical commodities ($16.7 billion) going towards the metal. Gold has gone up in price for 12 consecutive years, up about 500 percent in that period.

It has been somewhat of a mixed-bag for commodities in 2012. Soybean, soybean meal, wheat, corn, orange juice, and live cattle, for example, reached new multi-year highs at some point, while other names such as natural gas, cotton, sugar, and coffee fell to multi-year lows.

Here is a look at the best and worst performing commodities this year.

Commodities in 2012

Description
Price
YTD % Chg.
Soybean Meal 436.5 39.4
Lumber 358.7 37.4
Wheat 805.75 23.4
Oats 375.25 21.2
Soybeans 14.37 19
Platinum 1593.2 13.8
Cocoa 2360 12
Silver 31.125 11.5
Natural Gas 3.33 11.4
Live Cattle 134.25 10.5
Corn 7.03 8.7
Gold 1669.5 6.6
Palladium 697.35 6.3
Copper 3.595 4.6
Rough Rice 15.5 4.3
Heating Oil 3.0334 4.1
RBOB Gasoline 2.745 3.3
Feeder Cattle 153.475 3.1
Brent Crude Oil 110.36 2.9
Lean Hogs 86.575 2.7
Gas Oil 939.25 2.3
Soybean Oil 48.41 -7.7
Crude Oil 89.51 -9.4
Orange Juice 141.75 -16.1
Cotton 75.97 -16.9
Sugar 19.25 -17.4
Coffee 144.6 -36.2