What makes something a commodity?
Global commerce is underpinned by these unsexy items, but how do they attain that status?
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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
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What is a carry trade?
Borrowing cheaply to buy high-yielding assets is popular, but risky
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240817_BLP506.jpg)
The significance of liquid water on Mars
There could be an ocean’s worth deep underground
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Why Russian troops are attacking on motorbikes
New conditions give rise to new tactics
What is “two-tier” policing?
The conspiratorial belief has spread online, fuelling disorder in Britain
Would legal doping change the Olympics?
The impact would be smaller—and worse—than proponents of drug-taking claim
Do vice-presidential picks matter?
If they have any effect on an election’s result, it is at the margins