Masters in Business · Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Sal Gilberti of Techrium Trading explains that the wheat ETF (WAT) was created to offer investors exposure to wheat futures without the direct risks and complexities of managing futures contracts. The ETF is designed to track wheat prices through futures, providing a way for individuals to invest in commodities through their standard stock accounts.
“So what was the problem that the wheat fund symbol WAT was designed to solve for investors who wanted exposure to wheat but are a little skittish about holding futures directly.”
“Well, and thanks for having me berry wheat. So futures of any kind are tough to trade, right, so you've got to have a margin account. They're they're volatile. It requires a different expertise. And when I heard about ETFs, I didn't even know what an ETF was when I founded this company. And I found out and said, wow, that's brilliant because I always trading commodities and futures. And I said, Anybody can can buy these things on their in their stock account, that's amazing. And so we package these things inside of ETFs, and the wheat ETF has been very popular.”
“And so we thought there should be a week fund, and we started this fund, and we structured it, we think properly so people can buy it in their stock account. They don't need a margin account like any other ETF. They can they can buy it. We worry about the futures inside of it, and it's designed to track wheat prices through wheak futures.”