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.
Contents
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.
Direct vs derived prices
Some of the numbers on Commodity.com come straight from a provider for the exact instrument shown. Others are calculated from other numbers. We call the first direct and the second derived. This distinction matters because a derived number carries the errors of every input that went into it.
Direct prices are fetched from a provider that quotes the pair we display. Examples:
- Crude oil (WTI and Brent), natural gas, wheat, corn, coffee, and the other commodities on our price pages – fetched directly from TwelveData for the listed contract.
- Gold, silver, platinum, and palladium spot prices in USD – fetched directly from MetalPriceAPI.
- Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the other cryptocurrencies on our price pages – fetched directly from TwelveData.
Derived prices and figures are calculated from one or more direct inputs. Examples of where we derive:
- Per-kilogram and per-pound displays for metals – we fetch the per-troy-ounce spot price and convert to the display unit using the standard 1 troy ounce = 31.1034768 grams ratio.
- Per-metric-tonne displays for industrial metals – we fetch the per-troy-ounce price and convert (1 tonne = 32,150.7 troy ounces). Errors in the source price are magnified by this factor.
- Percentage and absolute price changes – derived from two direct prices (current and prior period).
- Debt clock figures in USD for countries whose debt is reported in a local currency – the debt amount is fetched in the local currency from official sources, then converted to USD using the most recent available exchange rate.
Why this matters: A derived number is only as accurate as its inputs and the conversion. If a provider returns an unusual or incorrect value for a per-troy-ounce metal price, the per-tonne figure we derive will be wrong by the same percentage, magnified in absolute terms. When we detect a magnitude anomaly on any page – direct or derived – our monitoring will show unavailable rather than a suspect number presented as live.
Prices that require cross-calculation through a third currency or instrument (for example, a commodity priced in a currency the provider does not quote directly) are not currently supported. Where we cannot source a direct or simply derived price, the page says so.
Direct vs derived data
Not every price on our site is a direct quote from a single exchange. Some values are calculated from other inputs. We flag which is which because the two carry different reliability characteristics.
| Category | How we get it | Reliability note |
|---|---|---|
| Direct – exchange-quoted futures | TwelveData pulls the front-month futures contract from the exchange (NYMEX, COMEX, ICE, CBOT). Delayed ~15 minutes from the tape. | Gold standard. One hop from the exchange. |
| Direct – spot prices from provider feeds | MetalPriceAPI and OilPriceAPI aggregate interbank spot prices. Updated hourly or every few minutes depending on the asset. | Reliable for liquid metals/energy. Less reliable for niche or illiquid commodities. |
| Direct – cryptocurrency prices | TwelveData crypto feed aggregates major exchanges (Coinbase, Binance, Kraken). Near-real-time. | Good for top-50 coins. Smaller coins may have fragmented liquidity across exchanges. |
| Derived – percentage changes | Calculated on our servers as (current – previous) / previous. “Previous” is defined by the time window (1D, 7D, 30D, 1Y). | Accurate if inputs are accurate. A bad input price propagates into a bad percentage. |
| Derived – 52-week high/low and percentile position | Calculated from our stored price history for that commodity. | Reflects data we have stored. Gaps in the history window can shift the range. |
| Derived – technical indicators (SMA, RSI, etc.) | Calculated from stored price history using the standard formulas for each indicator. | Standard math. Accuracy depends on the completeness of the underlying price series. |
| Derived – debt clock values | Interpolated from the most recent IMF figures plus a daily growth rate. See debt clock methodology. | Estimates, not the official live figure. We label them as such. |
If a value is derived, it inherits the failure modes of its inputs. A direct quote from a single exchange has one point of failure. A cross-rate calculated through two providers has two. We prefer direct over derived wherever the data is available.
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/
Broker review process
The diagram below shows the six-step flow every broker review moves through, in order. Nothing skips a step. Nothing is published until step 6 completes.
What we cannot assess in broker reviews
Our broker reviews are thorough for the parts we can measure from the outside. They are less useful for the parts we can only measure by trading live capital with the broker across many sessions and many market conditions. To be honest with readers, we list what our process cannot currently reach.
- Execution quality on live trades. We cannot verify what spreads, slippage, or requote frequency a retail account actually sees during volatile news events. Demo accounts use simulated execution; live accounts behave differently.
- Dealing desk versus straight-through processing behaviour. We can report what a broker claims about its execution model. We cannot independently verify from the outside whether a broker runs a B-book, an A-book, or a hybrid on a given instrument.
- Order fill quality at the top of the book. Whether a broker routes orders to the best available price or holds them internally is not visible to a third-party reviewer.
- Broker solvency and balance sheet health. Most of the brokers we review are private companies and do not publish audited financials. We rely on regulatory capital requirements, segregated-client-money rules, and compensation schemes as proxies.
- Withdrawal friction during adverse market conditions. Brokers often process withdrawals smoothly in calm markets and slow them down during stressed markets. We cannot replicate stressed-market conditions on demand.
- Quality of support for edge-case issues. Our support testing checks response times and competence on common queries. It does not test how a broker handles complex disputes, chargebacks, or legal escalations – those are rare by definition.
We surface these limits deliberately. A review that claims to cover every aspect of a broker is usually fiction. If we cannot assess something, we say so.
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:
- 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).
- 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).
- 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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