How to become a commodities trader
Official title: Commodities trader (excluding oil, bunker and environmental commodities)
Also called: LNG Trading and Research Head, LNG Trading Trader
Commodities trader (excluding oil, bunker and environmental commodities) buys and sells commodities other than oil, bunker and environmental commodities, on his/her own account or employer’s account. He/she sources, schedules, moves and optimises commodities through supply chains and distribution systems. He/she plans and executes purchase timings and delivery modes, while balancing organisational’s operational requirements and market movements.
Main tasks
- Negotiating purchase or sale of commodities and commodity futures
- Finding cargo and/or storage space for commodities and negotiating freight, shipping and storage charges
- Monitoring and analysing market trends and other factors affecting the supply and demand for commodities and shipping services
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
Will AI change the work of a commodities trader?
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026