Inflation Concerns Continue to Drive Commodity Prices Up in October

Commodities continued their upward momentum into October, posting positive performance across all index sectors.

Christopher Burton, Co-Lead Portfolio Manager for the Credit Suisse Total Commodity Return Strategy said, “The commodities market continues to perform well as global markets remain on track for recovery. Despite minor losses in equity markets, performance remains positive year-to-date. Although commodities have recovered some of their losses from 2008, we continue to believe current prices offer an exceptional entry point into the asset class, especially as central banks announce their intention to maintain low interest rates, which could lead to the stockpiling of certain commodities.”

Co-Lead Portfolio Manager, Andrew Karsh, added, “As inflation has not yet developed in terms announced by government figures, the potential for unexpected inflation remains quite high. Considering the fact that commodities are a leading indicator of inflation, we believe the time to invest in commodities is now, well in advance of lagging indicators such as in increase in CPI.”

The Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index Total Return gained 3.28% in October as a result of positive performance from all sectors, bringing the year-to-date performance of the Index to 12.64%. Lean Hogs, continuing its positive performance from September, was the top performer in October, gaining 14.33% most likely due to the conclusion of China’s ban on U.S. pork products. Gasoline also demonstrated strong performance this month, up 10.51%, because of a larger than expected reduction of stored gasoline. Sugar was the worst performer in October as it reversed its recent gains, declining 10.16% in October, but is still up significantly, 57.63%, for the year.

The Credit Suisse Total Commodity Return Strategy group periodically produces updates on relevant industry topics. For a copy of their latest whitepaper, “Capitalizing on any Curve: Clarifying Misconceptions About Commodity Indexing”, please click here or email ir.betastrategies@credit-suisse.com.

About the Credit Suisse Total Commodity Return Strategy
Credit Suisse’s Total Commodity Return Strategy has been managed for fourteen years and seeks to outperform the return of a commodities index, such as the Dow Jones–UBS Commodity Index Total Return or the S&P GSCI Total Return Index, using a quantitative commodity research process. Commodity index total returns are achieved through:
• Spot Return: price return on specified commodity futures contracts;
• Roll Yield: impact due to migration of futures positions from near to far contracts; and
• Collateral Yield: return earned on collateral for the futures.

About the Portfolio Managers
Christopher Burton, CFA, and Andrew Karsh are Co-Lead Portfolio Managers of the Credit Suisse Total Commodity Return Strategy. As of October 31, 2009 the team managed approximately USD 4.0 billion in assets globally.