by Justin Spittler
Casey Research
Is it time to buy this year’s worst performing commodity?
Commodities are off to a hot start this year. After a five-year slump that saw many commodities drop 50% or more, commodities are staging a huge rally. Lumber is up 20% this year. Gold is up 15%. Silver is up 10%. Even oil, which had plunged as much as 75% since June 2014, is up 6%.
But one important commodity is not rallying: natural gas.
Natural gas accounts for 31% of the energy generated by U.S. power plants. It heats our homes in the winter. It generates the electricity to run our air conditioners in the summer. We use so much natural gas that it’s set to overtake coal as America’s main power source this year.