What are Commodities ETFs?

Commodities ETFs are exchange-traded funds that invests primarily in companies engaged in the exploration, mining, and production of metals such as gold, silver, and copper.

What are the risks associated with investing in a Commodities ETFs?

Investing in a Commodities ETFs is subject to risk, including the possible loss of principal. Market volatility, economic downturns, and geopolitical events can affect the value of your investment.

What are the advantages of investing in VanEck's Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETF?

VanEck's Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETF offers investors exposure to companies involved in the exploration, production, and refining of rare earth and strategic metals, which are used in a wide range of high-tech products, including smartphones, electric cars, and wind turbines.

Commodities ETF

Invest in the Energy Transition and Hedge Against Inflation

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Discover VanEck’s Commodities ETF Suite

Commodities represent an important and varied alternative asset class whose relevance is often overlooked when building a resilient portfolio. Not only do they have historical inflation hedging characteristics, but also demand is expected to increase due to the energy transition. Clearly future developments are uncertain and need to be closely monitored.

Why Consider a Commodities ETF?

ETFs have many interesting characteristics and features. They are financial instruments known for being relatively low cost with transparent investment strategies and holdings, which are published daily. Moreover, ETFs are deemed to be very liquid as they are traded like normal shares during market opening times.

Commodities ETFs by VanEck can be an attractive alternative to investing directly in commodities. This is for four main reasons:

Dividends
Diversification
Simplicity
Leveraged Exposure

Commodity companies’ equities tend to pay out dividends. In fact, in many cases these companies regularly distribute part of their profits to shareholders in the form of dividends or share buybacks. Thus, investors looking for regular income could opt for a Commodities ETF rather than investing directly in the commodity itself. Of course, past distributions do not guarantee that dividends will also be paid in future.

ETFs are naturally diversified, effectively being funds that invest in the shares of multiple companies. Usually they cap the allocation to individual securities or countries, which can limit idiosyncratic risks. Naturally investors need to pay attention to sector risk and concentration risk.

Typically, investors buy commodities directly through derivatives like future contracts. These are agreements to buy or sell a specific commodity at a certain price and date in the future. But buying futures requires an investor to be pretty experienced, as it is more complicated than simply buying a Commodities ETF managed by a team of professionals. There could also be tax nuances associated with a direct investment.

In some cases, commodity companies’ equities effectively result in leveraged exposure to the underlying commodities. That means they tend to amplify the commodities’ price movements, during both upwards and downwards markets. In fact, commodity equities often have a moderately high beta, which produces the effect just described.

Why Include a Commodities ETF in a Portfolio?

Commodities are raw materials and tangible assets used as inputs to create products consumers buy. They can be classified in different groups ranging from agricultural products (wheat, corn, soybeans…), energy (oil, gas…), metals (gold, silver, steel…) and livestock. While derivative contracts - like futures - represent a way to invest in them, investors can also get exposure through the companies involved in their extraction, processing or refinery, depending on the specific kind of commodity.

There are several reasons why investors could consider allocating to one of the Commodities ETFs by VanEck:

Diversification
Commodities have historically exhibited a low or negative correlation with the overall...

Historical Inflation Protection
Historically, at times of widespread inflation, commodity prices have tended to appreciate...

Commodities’ Relevance in Large-Scale Trends

Commodities will play an important role in major trends that are unfolding and will shape our society. This growing importance also favors an investment in a Commodities ETF by VanEck.

Energy Transition
Infrastructure
Digitalization and AI
Energy Security and Independence

Many metals and rare earth elements are vital for the energy transition. For example, they are being deployed in clean energy equipment for solar and wind as well as several parts of electric vehicles (EVs), including batteries. As governments around the world align to meet the ambitious Paris agreement’s goals, energy transition-related demand is forecast to increase. Metals for green technologies include lithium for EVs, manganese for wind turbines, hydrogen and geothermal plants as well as cobalt for energy storage and carbon capture. Clearly, there is still uncertainty concerning the way the energy transition will take place.

The growing need for infrastructure, especially in emerging markets, will require large quantities of inputs. Industrial and precious metals alike will play a significant part. This is one of the arguments for investing in a Commodities ETF.

At the same time, many metals and rare earth elements are crucial inputs for most commonly used digital devices and new technologies. They are, consequently, at the center of the competition between western nations and China. Economic blocs like the US and EU are trying to gradually gain independent supplies of these commodities, which will require substantial investment and cooperation. The two accelerating trends of digitalization and AI could likely boost demand for these metals.

Energy-related commodities have come under the spotlight as 2022’s geopolitical turmoil forced many western nations to rethink their energy supplies. Traditional fossil fuels like oil and gas will help to safeguard energy security and independence, and potentially support the shift to greener energy sources. They will also be able to sustain the electricity grid when renewable energies alone are not sufficient. What’s more, nuclear is gaining acceptance as a source of low carbon and reliable energy, with governments investing again in it. Uranium is expected to benefit from this evolution.

Main Risk Factors

Risk of Investing in Smaller Companies
Risk of Investing in Natural Resources Companies
Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets Issuers
Industry or Sector Concentration Risk
Equity Market Risk
Liquidity Risks

The securities of smaller companies may be more volatile and less liquid than the securities of large companies. Smaller companies, when compared with larger companies, may have a shorter history of operations, fewer financial resources, less competitive strength, may have a less diversified product line, may be more susceptible to market pressure and may have a smaller market for their securities.

Investments in natural resources and natural resources companies, which include companies engaged in alternatives (e.g., water and alternative energy), base and industrial metals, energy and precious metals, are very dependent on the demand for, and supply and price of, natural resources and can be significantly affected by events relating to these industries, including international political and economic developments, embargoes, tariffs, inflation, weather and natural disasters, limits on exploration, often changes in the supply and demand for natural resources and other factors.

Investments in emerging market countries are subject to specific risks and securities are generally less liquid and less efficient and securities markets may be less well regulated. Specific risks may be heightened by currency fluctuations and exchange control; imposition of restrictions on the repatriation of funds or other assets; governmental interference; higher inflation; social, economic and political uncertainties.

The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in one or more particular sectors or industries. The Fund may be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on the relevant sectors or industries will negatively impact the Fund's performance to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.

The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions and sudden and unpredictable drops in value. An investment in the Fund may lose money.

Exists when a particular financial instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If the relevant market is illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous or reasonable price, or at all.

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