Please explain – Commodities

Oil prices’ recent decline by over 50 per cent from their peak, has dealt a serious blow to Australian and international energy industries.

But if the industry is experiencing volatility, is it still safe to invest? And is it better to invest in the commodity or in the industry?

In this please explain, we ask Dr Brian Chu, from Macquarie University, how substances like gold and oil shape our economy.

Story features: Dr Brian Chu, Lecturer in the Department of Applied Finance at Macquarie University

Image: ‘Oil’ by Ryan Lackey on Flickr