Data Sources & Methodology

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Last updated: March 19, 2026

Transparency about where our data comes from and how we work is fundamental to trust. This page explains our data sources, how prices are displayed, how we evaluate brokers, and where our information has limitations.

1. Price data sources

Price data on Commodity.com is sourced from two primary providers:

TwelveData – our main financial data API. TwelveData aggregates market data from major global exchanges and data vendors. Our subscription covers:

  • 149 fiat currencies – major and minor forex pairs
  • 50 cryptocurrencies – Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other actively traded digital assets
  • 60+ commodities – including energy (crude oil, natural gas, heating oil) and agricultural commodities (wheat, corn, soybeans, coffee, sugar, cotton)

MetalPriceAPI – dedicated precious metals spot prices for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. We use a specialist metals provider because precious metals pricing has specific nuances (London fix vs spot, troy ounce conventions) that a dedicated API handles more reliably.

The data includes:

  • Real-time prices – current bid/ask and last trade prices during market hours
  • Historical prices – daily, weekly, and monthly historical data
  • OHLCV data – Open, High, Low, Close, and Volume for each trading period

Update frequency: Prices update in near-real-time during market hours via API calls to TwelveData. API responses are cached on our server for 60 seconds to manage rate limits and improve page load times. This means displayed prices may lag the live market by up to one minute.

Chart rendering: Interactive price charts are rendered using Highcharts, a JavaScript charting library.

2. How prices are displayed

Prices shown on Commodity.com are for informational purposes only. They are not suitable for trading decisions. Here is exactly what you are seeing:

  • During market hours: The most recent price from TwelveData, which may be up to 60 seconds old due to server-side caching.
  • Outside market hours: The most recent closing price is displayed. There is no after-hours data.
  • Historical charts: Daily close prices unless otherwise noted on the chart.

Different commodities trade on different exchanges with different hours and time zones:

Market Exchange Examples
US futures CME Group (COMEX, NYMEX) Gold, crude oil, natural gas, corn, wheat
Base metals London Metal Exchange (LME) Copper, aluminum, zinc, nickel
Energy and soft commodities Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Brent crude, cocoa, coffee, sugar
Forex Interbank market (decentralized) EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY
Cryptocurrency Multiple exchanges (aggregated) BTC, ETH, XRP

We do not provide streaming real-time quotes. For live trading, use your broker’s platform – their data feed will be faster, more granular, and connected to the exchange you are actually trading on. See our legal disclaimers for the full data accuracy disclaimer.

3. Broker review methodology

We evaluate and compare brokers on our site. Our review process applies equally to all brokers, whether or not we have an affiliate relationship with them.

Each broker is assessed against the following criteria:

Factor What we check
Regulatory status Licensed by major regulators (FCA, ASIC, CySEC, CFTC, etc.). Enforcement actions, warnings, or sanctions.
Fee structure Spreads, commissions, overnight/swap fees, withdrawal fees, inactivity charges.
Available instruments Range of commodities, CFDs, crypto, forex, stocks, ETFs. Number of markets covered.
Trading platforms Desktop, mobile, and web platforms. Charting tools, order types, execution speed, ease of use.
Customer support Available channels (live chat, email, phone). Response times. Language support.
Deposit and withdrawal Payment methods, processing times, minimum amounts, currency options.
Account types Minimum deposits, professional vs retail accounts, Islamic accounts, demo availability.
Educational resources Trading guides, video tutorials, webinars, market analysis, demo accounts.

Regulatory status is the most important factor because an unregulated or poorly regulated broker represents a fundamental risk to your capital. A broker with excellent features but questionable regulation will score lower than a well-regulated broker with average features.

How we verify claims: We check broker claims against their own website, their terms and conditions, and the public registers of relevant regulators (e.g., the FCA Register, ASIC Connect). We do not accept broker-provided data at face value.

When reviews are updated: Reviews are updated when material changes occur – fee structure changes, regulatory status updates, platform overhauls, or mergers and acquisitions. The “last updated” date on each review reflects the most recent substantive review, not cosmetic edits.

Full details on editorial independence and conflict of interest management: /editorial-policy/

4. GeoIP and location detection

We currently use IP2Location, a GeoIP database stored locally on our server, to detect your approximate location. The specific provider may change over time.

How it works:

  • Your IP address is checked against a GeoIP database to determine your approximate location.

Why we do this:

  • Regulatory compliance – Financial regulations vary by country. Brokers licensed in one jurisdiction may not be authorized to accept clients from another.
  • KYC/sanctions compliance – Certain countries are subject to international sanctions, and broker services may be restricted.
  • Relevant broker display – We show you brokers licensed to operate in your detected jurisdiction, rather than brokers you cannot legally use.

Accuracy: Country-level IP geolocation is typically 99%+ accurate. However, if you use a VPN, proxy, or corporate network that routes traffic through another country, you may see brokers targeted at the VPN server’s location rather than your actual country. See our privacy policy for full details on how we handle location data, and our terms of use for the regulatory landscape section.

5. Debt clock methodology

Commodity.com publishes national debt clocks for 50+ countries. Here is exactly how they work:

  1. Base figure – We obtain the most recent official national debt figure from the relevant government finance ministry, central bank, or international organization (IMF, World Bank).
  2. Rate of increase – Using historical debt data, we calculate the average rate at which the debt has been increasing (per year, per day, per second).
  3. Real-time counter – The counter on the page starts from the most recent official figure and adds the calculated per-second increase in real time.

This is an estimate, not a live feed. We are not connected to government accounting systems. The counter shows what the debt is likely to be based on the trend – the actual figure may be higher or lower depending on fiscal events (bond issuances, repayments, budget changes) that occur between official publications.

Update frequency: Official debt figures are published on different schedules depending on the country – some quarterly, some annually. We update our base figures when new official data is released.

Sources: Each debt clock page cites its specific data source. Common sources include the IMF World Economic Outlook database, World Bank International Debt Statistics, US Treasury Department, UK Office for Budget Responsibility, and national finance ministries.

6. Technical analysis content

We publish educational guides covering 40+ chart patterns used in technical analysis, including candlestick patterns, trend patterns, and reversal patterns.

What these guides are:

  • Educational explanations of established technical analysis concepts
  • Based on standard technical analysis literature and textbooks
  • Illustrated with examples showing how patterns appear on price charts

What these guides are not:

  • Trading signals or recommendations
  • Guarantees of future price movement
  • Predictions about any specific market or instrument

Pattern identification is a widely used analytical technique, but no pattern predicts future prices with certainty. Past price patterns do not guarantee future results. We state this on every technical analysis page.

7. Known limitations

We believe in being upfront about what we don’t do well, what we can’t control, and where our data has gaps.

  • Price data depends on TwelveData and MetalPriceAPI. If either API experiences downtime, degraded performance, or data errors, the affected prices on our site are impacted. We have fallback logic between providers where coverage overlaps, but some data has no secondary source.
  • Not all commodity markets are covered. We focus on the most actively traded commodities. Niche or illiquid markets (e.g., rare earth metals, certain agricultural futures) may not be available.
  • Broker information may become outdated between reviews. Brokers change fees, terms, and conditions frequently. While we update reviews when we become aware of material changes, there may be a lag between a broker making a change and our review reflecting it.
  • Debt clock calculations are estimates. They are based on the most recently available official data and a calculated rate of increase. Actual national debt may differ from our estimate at any given moment.
  • Geographic coverage has gaps. We cover 100+ countries for broker regulation and debt data, but cannot guarantee that every piece of information is current for every jurisdiction.
  • Historical data may have gaps. Less liquid markets or periods of exchange closures may result in missing data points on historical charts.
  • We do not provide streaming data. Our 60-second cache means prices are never truly “live” – they are near-real-time at best.

8. How to report an error

If you spot inaccurate data, outdated information, or a factual error on any page, please report it via our contact form.

When reporting an error, it helps if you include:

  • The URL of the page with the error
  • What the error is (what we say vs. what you believe is correct)
  • A source for the correct information, if available

We take data accuracy seriously. Confirmed errors are corrected promptly, and material corrections are noted on the affected page. See our corrections process for details.

9. Third-party data attribution

Commodity.com relies on the following third-party data providers and tools:

Service Provider What it provides
Price data (currencies, crypto, commodities) TwelveData Real-time and historical prices for fiat currencies, cryptocurrencies, energy, and agricultural commodities
Price data (precious metals) MetalPriceAPI Spot prices for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium
Chart rendering Highcharts Interactive JavaScript charting library for price visualizations
GeoIP detection IP2Location Country-level location detection from IP addresses (database stored locally)
National debt data IMF, World Bank, national finance ministries Official government debt figures and economic indicators
Regulatory data FCA, ASIC, CySEC, CFTC, SEC, and other national regulators Broker licensing status, enforcement actions, and regulatory filings

See also: Editorial policy · Affiliate disclosure · Privacy policy · Terms of use · Legal disclaimers · Cookie policy

Commodity.com is operated by Moneda Media LLC.

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