Matt Roberts, PH.D.

Commodity Broker turned Professor turned Entrepreneur turned Speaker, Dr. Matt Roberts has shared his outlook on grain, energy and macro markets over 600 times around the country since starting at Ohio State in 2001. Dr. Roberts’ energy is matched only by his ability to break down the complex issues of the day and communicate them in an engaging and memorable manner that your audience won’t forget. When it comes to controversial topics, you’ll be amazed at Dr. Roberts’ ability to challenge your audience’s thinking in a friendly and non-confrontational way, honed by 15 years in front of farmers from around the world, talking about everything from the impacts of biofuels to the economics of cap-and-trade to the challenges we face as a society in providing health care. Dr. Roberts’ presentations combine the passion of the Baptist preachers of his youth with the knowledge of an Land Grant Agricultural Economist and the wisdom of accumulated over 25 years as a salesman, broker, trader, dad, grandpa and husband.

Matt is a native of Bolivar, MO, where he grew up in the markets, opening his first online trading account in 1986 (that’s not a typo!), trading stocks from the back room of the family Chevrolet Dealership. By 1996, Matt was a commodity and energy derivatives broker in the Vienna, Austria office of CA Global Futures. Matt has traded or brokered almost everything, from azuki beans to Waste Management shares—stocks, bonds, futures, options, and over-the-counter derivatives. Complementing his market experience, Dr. Roberts spent 9 months in the Office of the Chief Economist at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in Washington, DC, sitting in on enforcement and rule-making at the center of today’s markets.

When it comes to the markets, Dr. Roberts is an active researcher, consultant and speaker, and has been quoted in The Economist, the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, has appeared on CNBC and is a frequent contributor to AgDay TV. Dr. Roberts taught economics and grain marketing at The Ohio State University for 15 years, publishing in multiple journals on technical analysis, commodity markets, and electricity markets. Dr. Roberts is not just a teacher of business. He is also co-owner of Vertical Adventures, a chain of indoor rock climbing gyms in Central Ohio, for which he has negotiated multiple debt, equity, and real estate transactions. Dr. Roberts is currently serving his second term as a Director of USA Climbing, the US Olympic Committee-recognized National Governing Body of Competition Climbing in the US.

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