Commodity market in Sumer between 4500 BC and 4000 BC. Sumerians first used clay tokens sealed in a clay vessel, then clay writing tablets to represent the amount—for example, the number of goats, to be delivered. These promises of time and date of delivery resemble futures contract. Early civilizations variously used pigs, rare seashells, or other items as commodity money. Since that time traders have sought ways to simplify and standardize trade contracts. Gold and silver markets evolved in classical civilizations. At first the precious metals were valued for their beauty and intrinsic worth and were associated with royalty. In time, they
Commodity currency deflation. This can have negative or positive effects depending on whether the currency was overvalued or not, deflation can either be positive or negative in the long run as suggested by the effects section of the deflation article. It is important to note that while countries with commodity currencies benefit from the higher demand, countries that import this commodity face the opposite effects. Commodity currencies nature can allow foreign exchange traders to better gauge the value of a currency and predict the movements within the markets based on the perceived value of the commodity to which the currency is tied.