The Rogers International Commodity Index (RICI) is a broad index of commodity futures designed by Jim Rogers in 1996/1997. The first fund tracking the index began on July 31, 1998.The index was designed to meet the need for consistent investing in commodities through a broad-based international vehicle. The index tracks 38 commodity futures contracts from 13 international exchanges. The list of commodities is subject to change by the RICI Committee. In general, a commodity will be considered fit to be included in the index if it plays a significant role in worldwide (developed and developing countries) consumption. If one particular commodity is being traded on more than one international exchange, the most liquid contract globally, in terms of volume and open interest combined, is then selected for inclusion in the index. Liquidity is also used in determining weights in the Index.
The index is divided into three sub-indices, which reflect the three sub-segments of the RICI - RICI Agriculture, RICI Energy and RICI Metals. The sub-indices' contribution to main index from the beginning are Agriculture - 34.90%, Energy - 44.00%, Metals - 21.10% according to the RICI Handbook (see reference below).