Timeline

How Switzerland became a global trading hub. Its origins go back to the fairs of the 15th century, when merchants from South and North Europe met in Geneva and other Swiss market towns to trade goods. The 19th century saw the development of powerful family-owned ....

How Switzerland became a global trading hub

Switzerland has a long and varied history when it comes to commodity trading. Its origins go back to the fairs of the 15th century, when merchants from South and North Europe met in Geneva and other Swiss market towns to trade ....

Key figures

Switzerland counts about 550 companies (with 1 or more employees) with activities directly related to commodity trading and shipping. According the the latest study, this activity provides approximately 10'000 direct jobs, with related services accounting for ...

Swiss Strengths

Switzerland is at the centre of Europe, it is a perfect location to communicate with the rest of the world: China in the morning and the USA in the afternoon. Geneva, located at the Western end of the country, is a global city and a worldwide centre for diplomacy and ...

Transforming goods

Transforming goods in space, time and nature. The role of the commodity trader is to match supply and demand, and to do so in the most cost-effective way. Commodities are not necessarily readily available where the demand lies. Cocoa for example, used ....

Backwardation and contango

The fundamental concepts of commodity trading. Commodity traders pay great attention to the price curve. Significant differences in price levels over different time spans can offer physical traders arbitrage opportunities. Two particular configurations stand out: backwardation and contango.

Technical vs fundamental analysis

Commodity traders just like any other financial trader rely on two different approaches when it comes to taking positions in a particular market. Given that Swiss commodity trading companies focus on physical trading and therefore have longer time horizons than "paper" traders, ....

Trade lifecycle

The activities of commodity traders. The purchase, sometimes the production, or cooperating in the production of commodities. This step often requires commodity traders to have agents in the areas of production, particularly in the case of rare commodities or speciality ....

Managing multiple categories of risk

The commodity trader's challenge. Commodity trading involves managing different categories of risk. As risk taking directly links to profit opportunities, traders aim to have the clearest understanding possible of the risks involved with each trade. In turn, traders will seek to limit ....

Shipping Facts

Facts and key figures about shipping. Did you know that the average age of a ship sent to the scrap yard in about 25 years? And the average VLCC voyage lasts about 70 days, of which only 22 are laden days at sea.

The least CO2-intensive mode of transportation

According to the Internal Energy Agency, transportation accounts for around 25% of energy-related CO2 emissions. Of all the main modes of transportation, shipping is by far the lowest emitter in terms of amounts of CO2 emitted per tonne of goods transported ...

Growth and transformation through globalisation

Throughout history the oceans have been important to people around the world as a means of transportation. Unlike a few decades ago, however, ships are now carrying goods rather than people. Tankers, bulk carriers and container ships are today's most ...

Switzerland, a maritime nation

A 2017 study run by Oxford Economics outlines the importance of the maritime transportation activity in Switzerland. This study also sheds light on the positive impact that the introduction of a tonnage tax would have for the country’s competitiveness and ...

Different ships for different purposes

Specialization in the shipbuilding industry has brought massive changes to ocean shipping. As a result, special ships have increasingly been constructed for different types of freight. Specialisation helps speed up cargo handling, thus reducing the costs ....

Commodity Trading Companies

A commodity trader is one of the essential actors on the long process of getting commodities from the producer to the consumer. The typical trader based in Geneva buys a commodity from a producer and sells it to an importer or final user, moving the commodity from ...

Banks

Geneva is the world banking centre for commodity and trade finance. BCGE, BCP, BCV, Crédit Agricole, Crédit Suisse, ING, Société Générale and UBS all have their headquarters or offices in Geneva or Lausanne for this business. In addition to the classical commodity and trade ....

Ship-owners, operators, ship-brokers, agents

Switzerland is an important magnet for shipping interests. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the second largest global shipping line, has its worldwide headquarters in Geneva and a number of companies are based along the shores of Lake Geneva but also ....

Inspection and Certification Companies

Two of the world’s largest security and verification companies, Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) and Cotecna are headquartered in Geneva, with other leading companies such as Intertek also present along the shores of Lake Geneva. Security and verification companies are a ....

Consultants

A number of companies provide support services to trading companies, bringing their expertise in legal, tax, intellectual property, compliance and corporate governance issues. SUISSENÉGOCE partners, whether they be law firms or big consulting groups such as ....

The Volkart Brothers

The pioneers of modern commodity trading. One of the earliest major commodity trading names in Switzerland was that of Volkart Gebruder, a company set up in 1851 simultaneously in Winterthur, along the shores of Lake Constance in Switzerland, and in ....

Basler Mission-Handlungs-Gesellschaft

Becoming UTC International. The company took its name in 1921, although its origins go back to 1859. The business was founded as a type of subsidiary of the ‘Basler Mission’, which was a mission established in British India and in what is today Ghana at the beginning of ....

André & Cie

A heavyweight by the shores of Lake Geneva. The world of grain trading is a closed world, with a handful of families at its heart. For decades, 4 companies dominated the world stage, collectively known as the ABCDs. A for André, B for Bunge, C for Cargill and ....

Historical references on commodity trading

Historical references on commodity trading

Shipping references

Reference points for aspiring commodity traders and students.

Commodity Trading references

Reference points for aspiring commodity traders and students.

The CyclOpe report

Immerse yourself in the mysteries of all commodity markets