What makes something a commodity?
Global commerce is underpinned by these unsexy items, but how do they attain that status?
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20161224_BLP502.jpg)
By H.T.
To mark the publication of "Go Figure", a collection of The Economist’s explainers and daily charts, the editors of this blog solicited ideas on Facebook and Twitter. This week we publish five explainers suggested by our readers, who will each receive a copy of the book.
More from The Economist explains
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240914_BLP511.jpg)
Who will lead Britain’s Conservative Party?
Here are the four candidates vying for the daunting job
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240914_USP505.jpg)
When can parents be held responsible for their children’s crimes?
Mass shootings by young assailants are raising the question
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240907_BLP518.jpg)
Will the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump matter?
Normally presidential match-ups hardly move the needle—but this is no ordinary year
What are the Murdochs fighting about in a secret Nevada court?
The outcome could shape the political orientation of the family’s media empire
The battle between drones and helicopters in Ukraine
Small cheap drones could pose a new threat to expensive Russian craft
A short history of political meddling with the Federal Reserve
Donald Trump’s attacks on the Fed are a throwback to the era before central-bank independence