Commodity trading covers raw materials rather than company shares or currencies. Precious metals include gold and silver; energy markets include West Texas Intermediate crude oil, Brent crude and natural gas; industrial commodities include copper. Retail platforms commonly offer CFDs that track an underlying futures or spot reference. A CFD does not give ownership of physical metal or barrels of oil, so traders should understand the contract size, spread, financing charge and any rollover adjustment before placing an order.
Gold, usually shown as XAU/USD, responds strongly to US real yields, Federal Reserve expectations, the dollar and demand for safety. Falling real yields or a weaker dollar can support gold, while rapidly rising yields can pressure it. Silver shares some monetary characteristics with gold but also has meaningful industrial demand, which can make its percentage swings larger. Gold's safe-haven reputation is useful context, not a rule: during a liquidity shock it may fall temporarily as investors sell assets to raise cash.
Oil has a different driver set. WTI and Brent react to OPEC+ production policy, US inventory reports, refinery demand, weather, shipping disruptions and geopolitical threats to supply. A surprise inventory draw can lift prices, but the broader trend still depends on expected global supply and consumption. Natural gas is especially sensitive to regional weather, storage and infrastructure constraints. Do not treat all commodities as one trade merely because they appear in the same market category.
Volatility often concentrates around scheduled events. Gold can move sharply during US inflation, employment and rate decisions. WTI traders monitor the weekly US petroleum-status report and OPEC+ meetings. Liquidity is generally strongest when Europe and the United States are active, while spreads may widen during the daily break or around a futures rollover. Check which benchmark your platform tracks: WTI and Brent are separate markets, and a broker's cash CFD may not exactly equal the front-month futures quote.
For example, assume gold is holding above prior resistance after inflation comes in softer than forecast. Rather than chase the first spike, a trader could wait for a pullback, define a stop below the reclaimed level and calculate size from the dollar distance to that stop. Gold's quote can travel several dollars quickly, so copying a forex lot size can create far more risk than intended. The same principle applies to oil, whose contract value and gap risk require separate sizing.
Actionable takeaway: specialize in one benchmark, maintain a calendar of its key reports, and write down the exact catalyst that supports the trade. Mark nearby support, resistance and the point that invalidates the idea. Reduce size before major announcements, never widen a stop to accommodate a surprise, and review total costs—including spread and overnight financing—before holding a commodity CFD beyond the session.