The turbulent rise of the financial markets has contributed to increasing speculation, driven by the yields offered by raw material funds.

"Making the case for base metal stocks is tough," said John Escario, the portfolio manager of the $20 million Rydex Basic Materials fund.

If we take a look at raw material funds, for example, we note that some raw material funds have made up to 30% profit in past years.

This activity, as is ably described in the report, concerns entities and products that are very diverse, such as alternative and private equity investment funds, property funds and raw material funds.