The 20th century saw a proliferation of commodity exchanges around the world, with many based in the money centers of New York and Chicago. In the first decade of the 21st century, the industry experienced a major consolidation period — partly driven by electronic-based trading platforms — that dramatically reduced the number of players in the space and increased the product offerings of the remaining exchanges. Here are some of the important exchanges in today's new environment.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME): Crude oil, natural gas, ethanol; gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium; corn, wheat, soybeans, live cattle, lean hogs
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE): Crude oil, gas oil, natural gas; cocoa, coffee, cotton, sugar
Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE): Fuel oil; gold, copper, aluminum, zinc; rubber
