Commodity exchange-traded funds (ETFs) provide exposure to metals, energy, and agricultural products without the hassle of direct ownership. While gold and silver can be stored, commodities like oil, natural gas, and wheat are harder to hold physically, making ETFs a practical alternative.
These funds offer diversification thanks to their low correlation with stocks and bonds and can act as a hedge against inflation, since commodities often rise in value when prices increase. They're also fairly volatile, influenced by supply and demand, geopolitical events, and economic conditions.
Top commodities ETFs to consider
For this list, we screened for ETFs that provide exposure to a range of commodities rather than a single asset like gold or oil. We also prioritized funds that don't require a K-1 tax form, which is commonly issued by partnership-structured ETFs and can complicate tax filing compared to a standard 1099.
1. Invesco Optimum Yield Diversified Commodity Strategy No K-1 ETF (PDBC)
The Invesco Optimum Yield Diversified Commodity Strategy No K-1 ETF (PDBC +1.54%) tracks the DBIQ Optimum Yield Diversified Commodity Index Excess Return, providing exposure to 14 heavily traded commodities across energy, precious metals, industrial metals, and agriculture. The fund includes gasoline, Brent crude, NY harbor ULSD, WTI crude oil, natural gas, gold, corn, soybeans, wheat, sugar, zinc, aluminum, copper, and silver futures.
What sets this Invesco ETF apart is its optimum yield strategy, which helps manage roll yield -- the impact of replacing expiring futures contracts with new ones. By selecting contracts with the best price curve positioning, the fund aims to reduce the negative effects of contango, where later-dated futures contracts are more expensive than near-term ones, eroding returns over time.
With an expense ratio of 0.59%, the fund is fairly affordable for a commodity ETF. However, it's not the most tax-efficient choice, since it tends to pay large capital gains distributions in December that can lead to unexpected tax liabilities for investors in taxable accounts.
2. Direxion Auspice Broad Commodity Strategy ETF (COM)
Commodities are known for their volatility, with prices often making sharp moves up or down and staying there for extended periods. This makes commodity markets highly cyclical, where long periods of growth can be followed by sudden downturns, creating challenges for buy-and-hold investors.
The Direxion Auspice Broad Commodity Strategy ETF (COM +0.79%) is designed to manage this volatility by tracking 12 key commodities across agriculture, energy, and metals. The fund holds corn, cotton, soybeans, sugar, wheat, crude light, heating oil, natural gas, RBOB gasoline, gold, copper, silver.
What makes this Direxion fund different from most commodity ETFs is that it’s not restricted to a long-only strategy. If the trend turn unfavorable, the fund can go flat by holding Treasury bills instead of staying invested in declining commodity futures. This dynamic approach aims to improve risk-adjusted returns by reducing drawdowns during commodity downturns.
With a 0.70% expense ratio, this ETF is slightly more expensive than some peers, but its strategy has delivered strong performance, with a 10.81% annualized return over the past five years.
3. Teucrium Agricultural Strategy No K-1 ETF (TILL)
Commodities can generally be divided into four main categories: precious metals (gold, silver, platinum), energy (crude oil, natural gas, gasoline), base metals (copper, aluminum, zinc), and agricultural commodities (corn, wheat, soybeans, sugar).
For investors looking to focus on agriculture, the Teucrium Agricultural Strategy No K-1 ETF (TILL -0.71%) provides broad exposure to crop-based commodities. The fund takes a long-only approach with equal-weighted positions in corn, wheat, soybeans, and sugar futures, rebalancing monthly with one contract per market.
Unlike metals and energy, which are driven by industrial demand and macroeconomic trends, agricultural commodity prices are influenced by weather patterns, crop yields, supply chain disruptions, and government policies on trade and subsidies. These factors create a different kind of volatility compared to other commodities.
This agricultural ETF has a 0.97% expense ratio and, like many commodity funds, makes annual distributions in December, which investors should consider for tax planning.
4. abrdn Physical Precious Metals Basket Shares ETF (GLTR)
The abrdn Physical Precious Metals Basket Shares ETF (GLTR +1.36%) is the only non-futures-based commodity ETF on this list. It physically holds gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bullion rather than using derivative contracts.
While gold and silver are well-known for their use in jewelry and investment, platinum and palladium have key roles in industrial applications, particularly in automotive catalytic converters, electronics, and even medical equipment.
This ETF's holdings are stored in London, with vault inspections conducted twice per year by Inspectorate International. The metals are allocated, meaning each bar is specifically assigned to the fund, and they meet the strict Good Delivery standards set by the London Platinum and Palladium Market (LPPM) and the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), ensuring their authenticity and quality.
With a 0.60% expense ratio, this fund is a cost-effective way to gain diversified exposure to precious metals. It also has no distributions, making it more tax-efficient than commodity ETFs that pay out gains annually.
Should you invest in commodities ETFs?
There are two primary ways to use commodity ETFs. The first is as a trading tool, actively speculating on price movements. This requires daily monitoring and a strong understanding of commodity cycles, as prices can be highly volatile.
The second is for diversification, typically a roughly 20% allocation that is rebalanced periodically. Because commodities have low correlation to stocks and bonds, they can help stabilize a portfolio during inflationary periods or market downturns. In 2022, for example, commodities rallied while both stocks and bonds declined.
The main risks are volatility in both directions and tax inefficiency. Many commodity ETFs rely on futures contracts that generate large end-of-year capital gains distributions, which can be a drag for investors in taxable accounts.
For those who understand the risks and market drivers, commodity ETFs can be a useful portfolio tool, but they warrant careful consideration before investing.
