INTERNATIONAL TRADE OF AGRI-FOOD PRODUCTS (CLAM)

1. Trade flows and geography
1.1 Agricultural and agri-food products; basic and processed products
1.2 Dynamics of world agri-food trade
1.3 Export and import poles of agri-food products foreign trade
1.4 Instruments of technical and fundamental analysis;

2. W.T.O. and the regulation of international trade
2.1 Multilateral agreements
2.2 1994 GATT Agricultural Agreement

3. Instability of world agri-food markets
3.1 Demand for agri-food products (elasticity, "Engel’s law", "King effect")
3.2 Globalization and interdependence of world agri-food markets
3.3 Supply rigidity and its causes
3.4 Exogenous instability factors
3.5 EU intervention on community market of agricultural commodities

4 Supply & Demand Sheet
4.1 Aims, basic equations, rules for completion
4.2 Derivable indicators (nutrition parameters and indices for basic market analysis)

5. Futures contracts exchange on ag-commodities
5.1 "Cash", "forward" and "future" contracts
5.2 Spot transactions and “ready made” contracts
5.3 Standardization of futures contracts
5.4 Role of the broker
5.5 The Clearing House and its functions
5.6 Implicit risks in international trade transactions; speculation and hedging
5.7 Operational strategies and risk management
5.8 Elements of technical analysis applied to futures markets for agricultural commodities