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The accompanying table [click to enlarge or download] includes a year-to-date analysis for near-month CME Random Length Lumber Futures (LB), Claymore/Clear Global Timber ETF (CUT), iShares S&P Global Timber & Forestry ETF (WOOD), and the S&P 500 ETF (SPY). The price of lumber has declined the least of all four with a YTD loss of about 33% versus a 46.8% loss for WOOD, a 57.7% loss for CUT, and a loss of 42.8% for SPY.

An idea for a new commodity pool fund that invests in near-month lumber futures would p

Given the low correlation of timber to other asset classes and two existing company-based ETFs, investors may be interested in a new idea for a commodity pool fund which tracks the global price of lumber and wood pulp. A new commodity pool fund could be structured as follows to trade near-month futures contracts (or the closest available month to the near-month) for lumber (Lumber futures will account for 67 – 75% of the portfolio based on higher average trading volumes than pulp) and wood pulp (Wood Pulp future