The growing importance of commodities as an investment class was emphasized at a wealth management conference in Geneva. A number of spe...

The growing importance of commodities as an investment class was emphasized at a wealth management conference in Geneva. A number of speakers at the first day of the annual Shorex Wealth Management Forum expressed a growing interest in commodities among investors. These included Michael Alen-Buckley, executive chairman of UK-listed hedge fund manager RAB Capital. Mr Alen-Buckley said there had been tremendous demand for three of RAB Capital’s commodity, or commodity-related funds: the special situations, octane and energy funds. The special situations fund has already attracted more than £600 million ($1 billion) and was expected to close next spring with around £1 billion of investors’ money. The boss of one of London’s most successful hedge fund firms said worldwide demand for commodities especially from China and India was driving up the prices of commodities and fuelling investor interest in commodities after years of the asset class underperforming. “I see no reason why this won’t continue for some time,” Mr Alen-Buckley told delegates at the conference. Other speakers were similarly optimistic about commodities: Katharine Pulvermacher, manager of investment research at the World Gold Council and Aurele Storno of Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch both mentioned the growing investor appetite for gold.