Customer Reviews

The Complete Guide to Investing in Commodity Trading & Futures: How to Earn High Rates of Returns Safely

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a very elementary survey of commodity markets, best applicable for people with next to zero knowledge of this subject. For anyone who already understands the basics, this book will be useless. Do not make the error that the reviewer QE Brown does by saying, "I did not know anything about trading commodities before I started this book. However, by the end I felt completely with the concept and will likely move forward with diversifying my investment portfolio." (His words not mine) If you try to trade commodities after reading this book you will promptly give every penny you commit to the sharks of this vicious marketplace.

A quick skim of the book will reveal not a single formulaic example of how to analyze risk or price a contract. In fact, the words "Risk" & "Volatility" do not even appear in the puny 2-page index that looks geared toward a blind 95-year old; not to mention at least a chapter dedicated to these crucial subjects.

In the section dealing with individual commodities, likes metals for example, Holihan provides a chapter under each heading giving the "Outlook" for the underlying commodity! Read Bloomberg's "Commodities" page over the course of a month and you will find outlooks change daily. While yes, longer outlooks are valid, why would you include this very dynamic concept in a book? The book is now over a year old, so here is one example of how it is loaded with filler; but it gets worse.

I don't know if most of the reviews here are coming from people paid to hype the book, but reviewer C. Santagate says, "This book is not an "easy read", but it is an excellent and comprehensive handbook for anyone who is interested in the hows and whys of commodities trading, and absolutely necessary for anyone who wants to get in to commodities trading fully knowledgeable and with the tools they need to be successful." Then reviewer Elizabeth Sher writes, "This guide was not always easy to read due to the technical nature of the material." Is this a joke?

This is the only financial book I own that is printed in a 14-font with 1.15 or perhaps 1.5 spacing, with double spacing between the 16 or 18 font chapter headings. On a full page of text I counted 260 words, about half a full page at a 12-font.

Between this and a virtual complete absence of math, it feels like a childrens book. Page 8 is a photo of piglets, p12 hanging corn, p14 coffee beans w/spoon & flower. A whopping 2-pages of intro text out of the 1st 14. Page 39 & 40 have hand drawn pit signals. Page 84 is half a cow, p120 is a rice paddy, p160 is gold coins, p172 is an oil rig, p184 a farm, p220 a wheat field. Cute, but most beginning traders will eventually agree there is nothing cute about trading commodities. And they're all grainy black and white that look fresh off a Kinko's lot.

Now I gave the book 2-stars because for someone looking for a totally basic introduction, who is unlikely to ever trade these markets, the book is perfect. What gets me is the last line of the product description, "If you are interested in learning essentially everything there is to know about commodity and futures investing in addition to hundreds of tactics, tricks, and tips on how to earn enormous profits in commodity trading while controlling your investments, then this book is for you." Sorry, this is total crap. Another reviewer raves about the Index, LOL! Don't take my word for it, go Search Inside and see for yourself.

This is a very poorly edited book. I have found myself rereading many paragraphs in an attempt to clarify the authors intent, but missing words and poor grammar get in the way. A couple of the case studies are repeats with just the names changed!
The book introduces terms without providing a clear definition which makes this book a poor introduction to the topic. The analysis section of the book is completely devoid of any charts! As someone who spends a great deal of time analyzing data in my job, the lack of charts is quite disturbing as visualizing the data often leads to a better understanding of how the data is changing. Save your money, don't buy this book if you are looking for an introduction to commodity trading.

Over the course of about 300 pages, this book covers a lot of ground. Divided into two parts, the first section deals with the basics of commodity investing: from what it is and its history, to how to begin investing in it, finding a reputable broker, beginning investment theories, and other commodity-related financial tips for someone new to the venture. The second section looks at specific commodities individually, and discusses each of their current positions, and outlooks moving forward.

The first section is very informative. It assumes that the reader has some knowledge of stock investing, but that they have no prior experience dealing in commodities. The chapters are designed to both teach the reader about commodity investing and to teach them about the world in which it is done. The book struggles sometimes, because it tries to include very technical information along with the beginning basics, which could be off-putting on one hand to the beginner, and on the other to someone who is more experienced, but it does try hard to straddle the line to appeal to both sides.

The second section of "The Complete Guide..." is much more specific, and much more technical. It may be difficult to understand for someone who is yet to open a commodity account, or is reading the book to find out whether commodity trading is right for them, but it can work as a good guide for someone who has just begun investing, or to be set aside and kept as a piece of reference for a future investor.

This book is a good, all-in-one guide for someone who wants to learn the basics of the commodity market, because it includes information on every subject necessary. If you don't know much about commodities, it would be a good investment to make, because it provides an excellent overview of what it is and how to do it, along with more advanced information, if you do eventually choose to try to break into it. In an economy in which other investment ventures, such as stocks, bonds, and real estate, are dropping in value or lying stagnate, commodity trading continues to make money for many individuals, and if you are interested in trying your hand in the commodity market, I would recommend reading this book first.

I don't review very many of my purchases that I make on Amazon, but I feel as if it is my duty to review this purchase! This book is totally not worth a penny of your hard earned money. If you were to start trading after reading this book I would all but guarantee that you would lose money. If you're looking to get into commodities or futures trading this book should be crossed off of your list.

The Index is a joke...seriously it's the worst index I've ever seen! The trading tips section that's supposed to be an interview with a trader and provide thier tips is repeated material. There are also numerous typos and errors in the book.

The only good thing about this book is that a portion of the sale goes to the Humane Society! Hopefully my full purchase amount went to the Humane Society because this book is a complete waste of money!!!!!!! Save your time and money and look elsewhere!

I did not know anything about trading commodities before I started this book. However, by the end I felt completely with the concept and will likely move forward with diversifying my investment portfolio.

Ms. Holihan does a wonderful job of explaining just what commodities are and how they impact our society. For the novice like me a book Like Ms. Holihan's was exactly what I needed to get started trading in commodities. This book explains concepts with the simplest terms and most importantly, it starts at the beginning. You will learn just what commodities are and how the trading of them became common practice.

Ms. Holihan does not imply in any way that you will get rich quick or that this is an easy form of investing. But the message that she does deliver, and with success, is that anyone willing to put in the study time can make investing in commodities a successful venture. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE MARKET.

Ms. Holihan also uses case studies throughout her book that describe in detail how some great commodities traders got their starts as well as their advice on staying successful.

From studying the market to managing your portfolio to placing orders with brokers Ms. Holihan touches on all the pertinents of trading in commodities and then some.

This is a really thorough explanation about the topic of commodity training. I didn't know anything about where to start, all I knew was that I was interested in finding a way to invest in something and ensuring that it would reap rewards. This book explains it all.

I really like reading about the case studies and knowing that these are real success stories which have happened. Rules of etiquette and guidelines were absolutely enlightening, and unlike other investment books which are filled with dry `industry lingo' that newcomers are so alienated from, this book explains everything in simple and straightforward language, so anyone can easily pick up the concepts!

The most helpful part of the book is the index at the back. So if you are in the middle of researching a commodity you want to trade and unsure, this book remains as a wonderful tool for you to remember all the principles involved in successful trading of commodities.

The Complete Guide to Investing in Commodity Trading and Futures - How to Earn High Rates of Return Safely By Mary B. Holihan could be used as a text book for a college course in this subject.
This book is an excellent starting place for the novice commodity trader. It provides a history of the market and the major commodities. It discusses the main methods of predicting price changes and how to use these tools to make profits. It shows not only the major ways to make money but also the prime pitfalls in commodities trading and how to avoid them.
This guide starts out by looking deeply into the history of commodities and commodities trading. This gives one both perspective and an understanding of the underling basis and structure of the market. It then gives definitions and explanations of what all goes on. I t covers why trades are made, how trades are made, how and why you need a broker, what to look for in a broker, and the main reasons people lose money in commodities trading. There is an excellent section detailing the main different types of trend analysis, how to use them and the advantages and disadvantages of each. The book also gives information about each of the commodities markets how they work, what influences them and what to expect in the future.
Commodity trading provides an opportunity for tremendous gain or rapid loss. This book gives you an understanding of the opportunities and the risks. To be successful will require understanding and study. This book is an excellent first step in both the understanding and the study process.

Roger Yocom - Rocket Scientist

The Complete Guide to Investing in Commodity Trading and Futures: How to Earn High Rates of Return Safely by Mary B. Holihan, is a very good comprehensive investment guide about commodity futures trading. This book would be useful for undergraduate finance students, sophisticated investors and commodities traders. This guide was not always easy to read due to the technical nature of the material. A wide variety of commodity products are described as far as where they are produced, the years they are being produced and political climates that affect their outlook. The book starts out by describing as well as naming commodity exchanges worldwide. Specific commodities are not usually produced everywhere, but often in at least two different continents or countries.
Types of commodity trading orders are described in detail. Holihan also describes types of common commodity futures traders. These investors can be classified as hedgers, speculators, day traders, scalpers, spreaders and institutional investors. The guide gives suggestions as to investigating commodity broker services and commodity fund managers before hiring them. The two regulatory organizations to check with are the National Futures Association and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. The author contends that the commodity trading is becoming more and more electronic and less exchange-based.
Mary Holihan suggests good commodity trading systems to a novice or experienced trader. The Complete Guide to Investing in Commodity Trading and Futures provides a description of the ideal trader attitude for optimal trading. Information in the commodities market is not published often as stock or bond information is. Losses can occur more rapidly with commodities so the author advises you to become familiar with the commodity market you are trading in. Fundamental as well as technical analysis trading techniques are explained. This book has an excellent description of fundamental analysis in the commodities market. Ideas such as supply and demand, weather and inflation are mentioned. Technical analysis concepts in the commodities market are also given and these can include volume, support, resistance and breakouts.
The Complete Guide to Investing in Commodity Trading & Futures: How to Earn High Rates of Returns Safely

The Complete Guide to Commodity Trading by Mary B. Holihan is a very thorough look at the world of commodity training. It starts off with the basics: what commodity training is and a little bit about its history. The book covers how to find a broker, where and when different commodities are traded, and how to make money. There is also a section about some of the most common pitfalls that commodity traders may face, and how to avoid them. This book has almost everything that a new commodity trader needs to get going.
The most impressive section of the book is the detailed information about the commodities themselves, with all the information traders need to understand in order to be successful. This section covers meats, lumber, metals, oil and gas, currencies and harvestable commodities, such as corn, wheat and soy. Each commodity is given an in-depth treatment, which makes this book an outstanding resource.
My only complaint about this book is that I felt like it was for people who already understood the stock market and trading. There are a lot of terms to remember--I think the book could have used a glossary in the back to help readers keep everything straight without having to search back through the book. For someone who already knows the basic terms, this is a great book and I would recommend it.

The Complete Guide to Investing In Commodity Trading and Futures-How To Earn High Rates of Returns Safely is of particular interest now given that some are blaming high oil and gas prices on the "out of control speculating" going on, and corn becoming more important as a fuel as well as a food source, and with demand for all commodities increasing by the day. You need this book if you want to jump in to the world of commodities trading. Commodities Trading is complicated, full of risk and pitfalls, very different from stock trading, and this book is a must-have if you've never traded in commodities and want to be successful.
The book is divided into two main parts. The first section deals with Commodities basics-understanding it, the whys and hows, the pitfalls, etc. This section has a lot of information, and can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but all is explained in more detail further on. Part two explains types of commodities-agricultural, metals, meats, etc. Included in part one is great information on the floor, or "Pit". If you've ever seen video of a commodities pit, and wondered what all that gesticulating and running around was all about, this explains it.
Along with great in-depth information and advice, throughout the book are case studies / Q+A with experts, explanations of charts, and step by step guidelines about everything from placing an order with a broker to "How To Make A Trade". The author also covers differing investment philosophies and strategies.
In the chapter on the "Whys" of investing/trading in Commodities there is a mention of hedging against inflation, and the fact that historically higher demand for finished goods boosts the price of commodities. Also mentioned are the oil crises of the 70s and 80s being associated with major recessions at the time, and why commodities futures perform well in the early stages of a recession vs. stocks.
This book is not an "easy read", but it is an excellent and comprehensive handbook for anyone who is interested in the hows and whys of commodities trading, and absolutely necessary for anyone who wants to get in to commodities trading fully knowledgeable and with the tools they need to be successful.