Analysis
NAICS 523160 is the 2022 national industry for commodity contracts intermediation, part of 52316 (Commodity Contracts Intermediation). Census lists 24 example activities under it in the official index.
Its index entries, the activities Census uses to assign businesses to this code, include brokerages, commodity contracts, commodity contract pool operators, commodity contract trading companies and commodity contracts brokerages, among 24 in all.
For example, operating commodity or securities exchange clearinghouses (including virtual currency trading exchange clearinghouses) are classified in 523999 (Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities) instead.
Census lists 2 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 523999 and 42. Businesses that do several things are classified by their primary activity, the one that generates the most value, so check those boundaries before settling on this code.
County Business Patterns publishes no national count for it, either because the code is out of the survey's scope or because the figures are suppressed to protect individual businesses.
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in acting as principals (i.e., investors who buy or sell for their own account) in buying or selling spot or futures commodity contracts or options, such as precious metals, foreign currency, oil, or agricultural products, generally on a spread basis, or acting as agents (i.e., brokers) in buying or selling spot or futures commodity contracts or options on a commission or transaction fee basis.
Illustrative Examples:
Commodity contract trading companies Commodity contracts brokerages Commodity futures brokerages Futures commodity contracts dealing (i.e., acting as a principal in dealing commodities to investors)
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
Index entries (24)
- Brokerages, commodity contracts
- Commodity contract pool operators
- Commodity contract trading companies
- Commodity contracts brokerages
- Commodity contracts brokers' offices
- Commodity contracts dealing (i.e., acting as a principal in dealing commodities to investors)
- Commodity contracts floor brokers
- Commodity contracts floor traders (i.e., acting as a principal in dealing commodities to investors)
- Commodity contracts floor trading (i.e., acting as a principal in dealing commodities to investors)
- Commodity contracts options brokerages
- Commodity contracts options dealing (i.e., acting as a principal in dealing commodities to investors)
- Commodity contracts traders (i.e., acting as a principal in dealing commodities to investors)
- Commodity futures brokerages
- Financial futures brokerages
- Foreign currency exchange brokering services
- Foreign currency exchange dealing (i.e., acting as a principal in dealing commodities to investors)
- Foreign currency exchange services (i.e., selling to the public)
- Futures commodity contracts brokerages
- Futures commodity contracts brokers' offices
- Futures commodity contracts dealing (i.e., acting as a principal in dealing commodities to investors)
- Trading companies, commodity contracts
- Virtual currency (cryptocurrency) brokering
- Virtual currency (cryptocurrency) dealing
- Virtual currency exchange services (i.e., selling to the public)