Commodity prices at eight-year highs, raising inflation concerns

Commodities are seeing bullish wagers led by hopes that government stimulus and near-zero interest rates will fuel demand.

Commodities rose to their highest in almost eight years amid booming investor appetite for everything from oil to corn. Hedge funds have piled into what’s become the biggest bullish wager on the asset class in at least a decade, a collective bet that government stimulus plus near-zero interest rates will fuel demand, generate inflation and further weaken the U.S. dollar as the economy rebounds from the pandemic. The Bloomberg Commodity Spot Index, which tracks price movements for 23 raw materials, rose 1.6% on Monday to its highest since March 2013. The gauge has already gained 67% since reaching a four-year low in March.