Traditional investors say this exacerbates market moves and in turn makes it more costly for them to take out hedges when price moves go against them. The rise of computer - driven funds and high - frequency trading is forcing some commodity fund funders to close , moving instead to areas not accessible by machines . Anthony Ward , known for bold bets on cocoa markets , argued that the rise of computerised trading has reached breaking point , distorting prices and creating uncertainty for investors and those that rely on commodities . Oil trader Andrew Hall , and Michael Farmer , who specialises in copper , also accused high - frequency trading , using super - fast computers , of crashing markets and causing extreme volatility .
The rise of computer - driven funds and high - frequency trading is forcing some commodity fund funders to close , moving instead to areas not accessible by machines . Anthony Ward , known for bold bets on cocoa markets , argued that the rise of computerised trading has reached breaking point , distorting prices and creating uncertainty for investors and those that rely on commodities . Oil trader Andrew Hall , and Michael Farmer , who specialises in copper , also accused high - frequency trading , using super - fast computers , of crashing markets and causing extreme volatility .