China, with its gargantuan growth and materialistic middle classes, is seen as a major catalyst to rising commodities prices. The same could be said of the US in the 1950s, as Detroit belted out Dodge Coronets and single story suburbs. But if you had invested in commodities in the 1950s, you would be sorely disappointed.

Many long term indices show commodities as a good long term trade. From 1970, the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index has risen 529.55%. From 1956 to 2009, the Commodities Research Bureau Index rose 154%.