Golden Years For Commodities

Gold is trading at more than $400 an ounce for the first time in nearly eight years, and industrial commodities like nickel, rubber and cotton just had their fifth highest annual price gain as measured by the Journal of Commerce — Economic Cycle Research Institute index, which began in 1949. How can individual investors profit from the rush? Analysts don't recommend esoteric futures and options, which are subject to vagaries like war and weather. A more prudent option, analysts say, is buying stock in companies that supply copper and tin, or an exchange-traded fund like the Materials Select Sector SPDR Trust, which rose 32% this year.