Commodities

Open-Ended Mutual Funds

 * PIMCO CommodityRealReturn Strategy Fund Institutional (PCRIX) is an open-ended mutual fund which tracks Dow Jones AIG Commodity Index Total Return with collateral in index-indexed bonds. Expense Ratio 0.79%. Available at Vanguard Brokerage Service for $25,000 initial investment and a transaction fee.

ETFs

 * PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (DBC) is an Exchange Traded Fund which tracks the Deutsche Bank Liquid Commodity Index - Optimum Yield Excess Return. The Index is a rules-based index composed of futures contracts on six of the most heavily-traded and important physical commodities in the world - crude oil, heating oil, gold, aluminum, corn and wheat. Expense Ratio 0.83%.
 * iShares S&P GSCI Commodity-Indexed Trust (GSG) is an Exchange Traded Fund which tracks the S&P GSCI Total Return Index. Expense Ratio 0.75%.

ETNs

 * iPath Dow Jones-AIG Commodity Index Total Return ETN (DJP) is an Exchange Traded Note which tracks Dow Jones-AIG Commodity Index Total Return. The note is issued by Barclays Bank PLC. Expense Ratio 0.75%.
 * ELEMENTS RICI-Total Return (RJI) is an Exchange Traded Note which tracks the Rogers International Commodity Index - Total Return. The index is composed of futures contracts of 36 different commodities and is weighted based on global commodity consumption. The note is issued by the Swedish Export Credit Corporation. Expense Ratio 0.75%.

Papers

 * Commodities: The Building Blocks of Forward Returns by Vanguard Investment Counseling & Research, 2008
 * Investing in Commodities by TIAA-CREF’s Investment Strategy and Client Solutions Group, 07/07/2008
 * Are Commodities Futures Too Risky for Your Portfolio? Hogwash! by Knowledge@Wharton, 04/05/2006
 * Facts and Fantasies about Commodity Futures by Gary Gorton and K. Geert Rouwenhorst, 06/14/2004
 * On Stuff by William J. Bernstein, 09/2006
 * Not All Commodity Indexes Are Created Equal (Part One of a Two Part Series) by Richard Feldman, CFP, MBA, AIF, 06/02/2006
 * Contango, backwardation, and all that good stuff by Prof. James Hamilton, 06/12/2005
 * CRB Indexes by CRB
 * Going Long on Commodities: Six ways to invest in commodities by Will Acworth, 05/15/2005
 * A Rediscovered Asset Class: Commodity Futures by raddr, 02/04/2006
 * Commodities As An Asset Class by Frank Armstrong, CFP, AIF, 07/15/2004
 * Commodities: Boom or Bust? by Jeremy Siegel, Ph.D, 04/19/2006
 * Robert Greer Discusses the Benefits of Commodity Investing by Robert J. Greer, 03/01/2004
 * What the Price of Gold Is Telling Us by Congressman Ron Paul, 04/25/2006
 * Commodities: A Case for Active Management by Akey, Rian P., 04/11/2005 (broken)
 * Benefits of Commodity Investment by Georgi Georgiev Phd Candidate, 03/01/2001
 * The Benefits of Commodity Investment:2006 Update by CISDM Research Department, 04/01/2006
 * Wilshire Research Commodity Index Comparison by Thomas E. Toth, Associate, 04/05/2005
 * The Tactical and Strategic Value of Commodity Futures by Claude B. Erb and Campbell R. Harvey, 01/19/2006
 * Should passive commodities "investments" play a role in your portfolio? by Edwin Denson, PhD, 03/01/2006 (broken)
 * The Nature of Commodity Index Returns by Robert J. Greer, 2000
 * Conditional Means, Volatilities, and Correlations in Commodity Futures Markets by James Chong and Jo묬e Miffre, 11/01/2004
 * Commodity Futures: A Japanese Perspective by Gorton, Gary B., Hayashi, Fumio and Rouwenhorst, K. Geert, (October 19, 2005). Yale ICF Working Paper No. 05-27
 * Strategic Asset Allocation and Commodities by Ibbotson, Thomas M. Idzorek, CFA May 2006
 * What Every Investor Should Know About Commodities, Part I: Univariate Return Analysis by Kat, Harry M. and Oomen, Roel C.A;January 26, 2006
 * What Every Investor Should Know About Commodities, Part II: Multivariate Return Analysis by Kat, Harry M. and Oomen, Roel C.A., June 2006
 * The Fundamentals of Commodity Futures Returns by Gorton, Gary B., Hayashi, Fumio and Rouwenhorst, K. Geert, "The Fundamentals of Commodity Futures Returns" (June 2007). Yale ICF Working Paper No. 07-08
 * Understanding alternative investments: The role of commodities in a portfolio by Kimberly A. Stockton, Vanguard Investment Counseling & Research, (08/02/2007)
 * Commodity futures in portfolios by Truman A. Clark, December 2004 (requires sign in)