International indicies and commodities

Hi guys,

I was wondering if anyone could tell me how they gain exposure to international indices and commodities. I am looking for something relatively cheap, simple to set up, and easy to monitor.

I know getting into a managed fund specialising in overseas equity and commdodities would be the easy way to do it, but I would value the liquidity and flexibity of other methods.

So what securities do you use and what platform/broker is good for this? Are futures preferred over CFDs? If so, what's the best way to get into futures contracts?

Thanks in advance
Speiro