Reuters Jefferies CRB Index

The Reuters Jefferies CRB Index is a global commodity index. The Reuters Jefferies CRB Index tracks the price movement of commodity futures as a whole. The Reuters Jefferies CRB Index was originally developed by the Commodity Research Bureau in 1957 using 28 commodities. In 1995, the Reuters Jefferies CRB Index went thru its 9th revision. This version of the index, which includes 17 commodities, is now known as the Continuous Commodity Index (CCI). In 2005, the Reuters Jefferies CRB Index, then known as the CRB Index or Reuters CRB Index, was revised for the 10th time since its inception. As a result of this 10th revision, the Reuters Jefferies CRB Index was altered to include a variety of 19 commodities. The old version of the Reuters Jefferies CRB Index, the CCI, is still tracked today but there are several differences between the Reuters Jefferies CRB Index and the CCI. The most significant difference is that unlike the CCI, the Reuters Jefferies CRB Index does not apply equal weighting to all commodities. Most importantly, the Reuters Jefferies CRB Index is heavily weighted in West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Crude Oil (23% vs. 6% as of 2008). As a result, the total energy weighting of the Reuters Jefferies CRB Index is more than twice the energy weighting of the CCI. Futures contracts and options based on the Reuters Jefferies CRB Index and the CCI are traded on the New York Board of Trade.