Commodities  are basic materials that are used and traded worldwide. The price of commodities helps determine how much a business can charge for a product and the profit it can make. Commodity prices have reached a two-year high since falling sharply during the world financial crisis. Hard commodities are materials like iron ore, oil and gold. Agricultural products are soft commodities. These include wheat, cotton and rice. Economic measures show the world economy is recovering. China and India, for example, have reported strong growth in manufacturing . Developed nations have had slower growth. John James, a business professor at Pace University, says demand in developing economics can push up prices for commodities like oil and iron are used for making steel. But, he says, changing currency values can also influence prices. Gold prices have reached record levels in recent months. That means gold dealers must pay more for the commodity now than they did only a year ago. That affects current prices. Not surprisingly, manufacturers want some control over the prices they pay for commodities. Futures  contracts are agreements between a buyer and a seller to exchange something at a set price at some time in the future. These contracts let buyers lock in a price for basic materials. But some traders in futures markets only want to make a profit. They buy or sell contracts depending on the direction they believe prices will go. These speculators  get  _ when prices rise, or fall, too quickly. The United States, Germany and France are looking into ways to limit this kind of trading. Some experts say exporting commodities is not a good path to long-term economic growth. The United Nations recently reported that the least developed countries must change their economics to provide good incomes for their citizens. A UN official says the least developed countries need to cut dependence on commodities and manufacture products for export. He says only this will let them gain from world trade. What is the leading factor for this round of growth of commodity prices?
The growth of gold prices. The speculators' seeking higher profits. Growth of demands in developed economics. Growth in manufacturing in developing nations.