Commodity money coins. Commodity money Commodity money is money whose value comes from a commodity of which it is made. Commodity money consists of objects that have value in themselves (intrinsic value) as well as value in their use as money. Examples of commodities that have been used as mediums of exchange include gold, silver, copper, salt, peppercorns, tea, large stones (such as Rai stones), decorated belts, shells, alcohol, cigarettes, cannabis, silk, candy, nails, cocoa beans, cowries and barley. These items were sometimes used in a metric of perceived value in conjunction to one another, in various commodity valuation or price system
Commodity index fund Fund. There are many other funds, such as: These are very different from, and should not be confused with, commodity funds that hold real assets (oil refineries, farms, forests etc.) such as: A 2010 article in Harper's by Frederick Kaufman alleged that these Commodity Index funds were part of the global food crisis in 2008, including riots in 30 countries, a food price rise of 80 percent between 2005 and 2008, and an increased hunger rate. The article claimed that one mechanism involved was a 'demand shock' on wheat futures caused by the index funds, resulting in a 'contango' wheat