If Commodities Are Indeed At the Bottom, It Could Be ETFs’ Gain

Commodities peaked around July 3, and slumped 21% after the fastest decline through Aug. 15, according to S&P’s GSCI Index of 24 raw materials.

Investor Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings, says that over the course of time, commodities are a bull market. But not everyone is so optimistic: one investment strategist says the cycle that began at the turn of the century is done, since the real price nearly everything extracted or manufactured goes down over time.

Who’s right? You’ll have to wait for the answer.

ETFs of interest:

• PowerShares DB Agriculture (DBA), up 11.1% year-to-date
• iShares S&P GSCI Commodity Indexed Trust (GSG), up 14.6% year-to-date
• iShares COMEX Gold Trust (IAU), down 1.4% year-to-date
• PowerShares DB Oil (DBO), up 28.6% year-to-date