The consensus that Index Funds Are Good is pretty universal, but also kind of boring. It turns out that the right way to invest is to … do nothing? To do exactly what everyone else does? To just stop paying attention? Indexing is low on action, low on personality, low on fees, low on excitement. It is good for you, but a bit bland.
The Index Funds Are Bad camp, on the other hand, is full of wacky fun. There is, for instance, the view that index funds are illegal because they violate antitrust laws, a view that is so counterintuitive that its proponents insist that they don’t mean it………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Our Copper MMI held steady at 61 points in October. At first glance, it might appear that there is nothing bullish about that. Markets remain in surplus due to producers’ unwillingness to cut capacity.
Copper prices have lagged the rest of the industrial metals this year and we’ve been pretty bearish on copper since 2011. But, although still early to make a call, there might be a bull lurking in the shadows. Copper prices might be setting up for a big run. Although prices didn’t rise in October, they showed resilience in the face of a rising dollar…………………………………….Full Article: Source

The Reserve Bank’s index of commodity prices is up by the biggest monthly margin since April 2010, on a foreign currency basis. The 9.5 per cent rise in October was driven mainly by the higher price of coking coal, but both base metals and rural commodities were up on average in the month as well.
Annual growth came in at 16.0 per cent. However, using spot market prices rather than actual prices paid, the index was up by 10.1 per cent in the month and by 34.2 per cent through the year, the RBA said……………………………………Full Article: Source

It has been an excellent year for most commodities: WTI oil prices are up 31%, Henry Hub natural gas is up 32%, gold is up 19%, and the RBC Commodity Index (which contains a basket of 24 commodities) was up 23% year-to-date at the end of September.
With 20% being the threshold for a bull market, commodities are in a bull market with certain major commodities (natural gas, oil, zinc, metallurgical coal) up well over 30% in some cases. This is fairly large change in trend, since the last few years saw nearly every commodity stuck in historic bear markets (the RBC Commodity Index dropped in half between mid-2014 and early 2016)…………………………………….Full Article: Source

China’s producer price index (PPI) rose in September for the first time in nearly five years, led by a recovery in demand and the recent rebound of commodity prices. But the figure doesn’t necessarily herald an uptick in domestic economy, as China is still confronted with overcapacity in the manufacturing sector, experts warned.
China’s consumer price index (CPI), the main gauge of inflation, grew 1.9 percent year-on-year in September, up from the 1.3 percent rise in August, while PPI gained 0.1 percent year-on-year, the first increase since March 2012, according to a statement released by the National Bureau of Statistics. “The Chinese government has rolled out measures to stimulate domestic demand in the infrastructure sector,” Liu Xuezhi, an analyst at Bank of Communication, said……………………………………..Full Article: Source

Lean hogs, soybeans and crude oil all lost ground in the third quarter, but the commodities market held its grip on the first yearly gain since 2010. Commodities typically underperform in the third quarter, but they logged their strongest third quarter since 2013, analysts at Citi Research said in a recent note.
The Bloomberg Commodity Index is down nearly 4% for the quarter, but remains up about 8.6% year to date. The index hasn’t posted a calendar-year gain since 2010, when the index saw a nearly 17% climb. It lost almost 25% in 2015, but gained nearly 13% in the second quarter of this year……………………………………..Full Article: Source

Index reinforces fears of economic weakness amid popular discontent and a backlash against openness. The global economy is faltering again with growth rates “sliding back into the morass [they have] been stuck in for some time”, according to the Brookings Institution-Financial Times tracking index.
In a publication ahead of this week’s annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, the results will reinforce fears that many countries have become caught in a vicious circle of low growth, popular discontent and a backlash against trade and openness, resulting in more economic weakness……………………………………..Full Article: Source

Investors in commodity index funds are coming up short in 2016, even after rallies in more than a dozen raw materials, including sugar, gold and soybeans. While spot prices tracked by the Bloomberg Commodity Index are up 16 percent this year, the total return for funds linked to the gauge was about half that amount, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
The performance gap has been widening since the first quarter of 2015 and is now the largest in five years, just as investors pour more money into commodities………………………………………Full Article: Source

For commodities, 2016 started with a bang. If history is any guide, it will end with a whimper. The Bloomberg Commodity Index, tracking returns for 22 components, is heading for a third-quarter slump after posting consecutive gains in the first two periods. Since the data begins in 1991, that’s only happened in four other years — and the final quarter was a loser for three of them.
With supply gluts persisting from corn to oil, traders are already gearing up for declines. Investors pulled $791 million out of exchange-traded funds tracking commodities over the past month, a reversal from earlier this year that have still left inflows up by $34.1 billion for the year………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Our Copper MMI fell 5% during the month of August. The price drop is no surprise. Copper has struggled near $5,000 per metric ton multiple times this year and as we pointed out last month, buyers could expect prices to retrace in August.
Weaker Chinese imports over the past few months and the bearish calls of some major banks have contributed to the recent price fall. Unlike other base metals, sentiment about copper is still sort of bearish, making this metal the worst performer among its peers this year. In our monthly outlook, we haven’t recommended buying copper forward yet………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Commodities declined in August, largely driven by supply fundamentals and evolving macroeconomic headlines, according to Credit Suisse Asset Management. The Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return performance was negative for the month, with 14 out of 22 Index constituents posting losses.
Precious Metals was the worst performing sector, down 4.95%, led lower by Silver. Positive US economic data increased expectations that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) may raise interest rates earlier than expected. Agriculture declined 4.78%, led by Soybean Meal, due to a continued strong production outlook for Soybeans and Soybean Meal following supportive weather conditions in the US Midwest. (Press Release)……………………………………….Full Article: Source

The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, fell on Wednesday on weaker rates for larger vessels and supramaxes.
The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, was down 17 points, or 2.44 percent, at 679 points. The capesize index fell 38 points, or 4.52 percent, to 803 points………………………………………..Full Article: Source

For investors and advisors looking to hedge market risk, generate a little extra income or boost growth, options on indexes are a great solution. But which instrument is the right one to use—index options or options on index ETFs? Since the S&P 500 Index (ticker SPX) is widely regarded as the leading benchmark of the overall U.S. stock market, let’s look at options on SPX—an index—and those on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, an ETF that tracks the index.
Options are uniquely flexible financial tools, so implementing investment strategies using either SPX options or those on SPY may allow you to tailor risk and reward better than if you did not use options at all………………………………………..Full Article: Source

While the Australian economy still appears set for more sub-trend growth, a survey has found that sentiment improved in May as the commodity price burden began to ease.
The monthly Westpac-Melbourne Institute leading index showed that the expected six-month annualised growth rate, which assesses likely growth against the long-term trend, had improved from 1.19 per cent below trend in April to minus 0.42 per cent in May — the best reading since October. The index had bottomed in March at -1.53 per cent — its weakest print in five years — but has improved in ensuing months as commodity prices regained their footing………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, continued its fall Monday on weaker demand for capesize vessels. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, was down 5 points, or 0.85 percent, at 582 points.
The capesize index fell 30 points, or 3.24 percent, to 897 points. Average daily earnings for capesizes, which typically transport 150,000-tonne cargoes such as iron ore and coal, were down $218 to $6,315. The panamax index was flat at 546 points………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Multi-managers hoping to take advantage of the recent commodities bull run and rebuild their exposure have been forced to allocate to passive vehicles, as many active equity fund managers are holding “material underweights” to the unloved energy and mining sectors.
The Bloomberg Commodity index, which tracks returns from 22 raw materials, recorded a 21% gain over the six months since the lows of January, when concerns about China’s slowdown weighed heavily on the sector. There have been gains across the board as supply constraints and production cuts have driven up prices………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Commodities slightly decreased in May, driven by supply factors and macroeconomic events, according to Credit Suisse Asset Management. The Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return performance was slightly negative for the month, with 11 out of 22 Index constituents posting losses.
Industrial Metals was the worst performing sector, down 7.27%, with all sector commodities yielding negative returns, as demand concerns out of China persisted. Supplies also remained ample, broadly weighing on base metals. Precious Metals declined 7.07%, led lower by Silver, amid a strengthening U.S. Dollar and Chinese industrial demand concerns. (Press Release)

It’s not just gold and oil: Agricultural products are on the rise. Even Deere and DuPont are up. Not many individual investors have experienced trading in the commodities pits, but they should pay attention to what is happening there right now. Commodities from sugar to soybeans look quite strong, and that is giving commodities-related stocks a boost, too.
You don’t have to have conviction on pork-belly futures to participate. The PowerShares DB Agriculture fund holds positions in a broad array of agricultural commodities, and after a choppy May it erupted higher two weeks ago……………………………………….Full Article: Source

After years of disappointment, evidence that some investors are again seeking broad exposure. Here’s an unfamiliar phrase: commodities are the best performing asset class. Yes, it’s true. In the year 2016, total returns from the Bloomberg Commodity Index are over 11 per cent. Compare that to global bonds, at about 6 per cent, and global equities at just over 2 per cent.
The index has pushed higher thanks to components such as oil, gold, soyabeans and zinc. On Monday, the benchmark was up 21 per cent from its January low, entering a bull market. It is the strongest start to any year since the notorious commodities price spike of 2008………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The base metals remain in consolidation mode, the corrections seen in May have for the most part halted for now, but rebounds are struggling to hold on to gains. It appears that there is both bargain hunting and selling into strength going on.
The precious metals remain in correction mode, there is some dip buying around, but follow through buying is absent, palladium is the one attempting to rebound the most but it is a thin market. For now, all but all remain vulnerable, but we expect dips to attract pent-up demand………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Gold bullion is up 15% so far in 2016. This rise is particularly interesting when you consider that the derivatives of gold, such as gold and silver mining companies, have bounced off of even deeper lows than the metals far more aggressively.
For instance, the NYSE ARCA Gold Bugs Index, a representation of the mining companies, is up over 80% YTD. Conversations about gold often resemble an argument about religion with the believers and the non-believers rarely seeing eye to eye. Typically, the believers are so adamant that the non-believers are left with only one conclusion: being long gold is similar to joining a cult………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Global hedge funds recovered in April with the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index gaining +0.41% last month (-1.47% YTD), while the HFRX Market Directional Index gained +5.31% during the same period (-1.58% YTD) on resurgent energy and commodities.
In its monthly report, Hedge Fund Research said that the global financial markets posted mixed performance in April and added that both the Japanese yen and British pound sterling surged against the US$. Global equities posted mixed results, with gains in Europe offset by weakness in Asia, while gains across large and small cap indices were offset by weakness in technology; reported earnings were also mixed, with weakness in Apple & Twitter offset by strength in Amazon………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Bloomberg Commodity Index (BCOM) April 2016: Commodities are roaring back and investors are taking note. Soybeans entered a bull market on bad weather in South America. Silver prices have rallied more than any other metal this year after three straight annual losses.
Iron ore jumped above $70 a metric ton and copper is near a one-month high on signs of improving Chinese demand. Vietnam drought boosted coffee prices. Oil is trading near levels not seen in five months as U.S. output dropped to the lowest since October 2014. Put it all together, and the Bloomberg Commodity Index, a measure of returns for 22 commodities, jumped 8.5% in April - the biggest monthly gain since December 2010………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (GSCI) recorded its best performing month for a year and the second best April on record. The index is up 15.5% since 29th February 2016, marking the biggest consecutive two months in almost seven years since May-June 2009 when it gained 20.4%.
According to data from S&P Dow Jones Indices, the Dow Jones Commodity Index and S&P GSCI total return indices also saw positive performances with gains of 9.1% and 10.1%, respectively. However, the rally could be short lived, proving hard to sustain as a result of poor fundamentals underpinning the commodities………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The global gluts that have plagued markets from crude oil to zinc are finally starting to subside, sending commodities to their biggest monthly gain since December 2010. The Bloomberg Commodity Index, a measure of returns for 22 components, climbed as much as 1.1% on Friday to the highest since November.
The gauge climbed 8.5% in April, beating returns for indexes of global equities, highyield and investment grade, bonds, Treasuries and all major currencies. Oil in New York posted the biggest monthly gain in a year, and gold reached the highest in more than a year. The brighter picture for raw materials comes as the economy stabilises in China, the world’s top consumer of metals, grains and energy………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Commodities increased in March, largely driven by decreasing supply expectations and weather fundamentals supporting the energy and agriculture sectors, according to Credit Suisse Asset Management. The Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return performance was positive for the month, with 17 out of 22 Index constituents posting gains.
Energy was the best performing sector, up 7.84%, led by Brent Crude Oil, due to reports of an upcoming meeting in April among OPEC and non-OPEC nations to discuss a potential cap on production. Natural Gas increased due to continued production declines, which helped improve the outlook for the supply and demand balance. In addition, an unusual cold snap in the U.S. Northeast at the beginning of spring improved demand expectations. (Press Release)

After flirting with recovery in February, New Zealand’s commodities sector took a tumble last month as dairy prices fell further. The basket of commodities tracked by ANZ fell 1.3 per cent in March in US dollar terms, taking a turn for the worse following revised growth of 0.5 per cent in February, adjusted from 0.4 per cent.
Economists had forecast 0.4 per cent growth for the index, and while beef prices saw gains of 3.1% from the previous month, prices for dairy, New Zealand’s, biggest export sector, plummeted 4.5 per cent, with seafood prices piling on more pain with a fall of 1.6 per cent………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, rose on Tuesday, helped by firmer rates for bigger vessels. The overall index, which factors in rates for capesize, panamax, supramax and handysize shipping vessels, rose 16 points or 3.4 percent to 487 points.
While the index has jumped nearly 70 percent since touching its all time low of 290 points on Feb. 10, analysts said the recent recovery being noted in parts of dry bulk market has been primarily fed by seasonal market movements and cannot be relied upon to support the sector throughout the year………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Scotiabank’s Commodity Price Index edged down in February by -0.3% m/m (-25.0% yr/yr) — the fourth consecutive monthly decline — but is expected to rally significantly in March. Commodity prices have rebounded across a broad front since mid-February amid some easing in concern over the outlook for China’s economy and a weaker U.S. dollar.
“Equally important, hedge & investment funds appear to be looking for reasons to bid commodity prices higher, after the rout of recent years. The Scotiabank Commodity Price Index is currently at a more than a decade low,” said Patricia Mohr, Vice President of Economics and Commodity Market Specialist at Scotiabank………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The global slump in commodity prices that has seen the benchmark Goldman Sachs Commodity index slump by around 50% over the past 20 months, has already claimed victims in the form of jobs and dividend cuts, profit warnings and credit rating downgrades.
Now Standard & Poor’s says it’s also eaten into capital expenditure plans, and is likely to keep doing so for the next couple of years at least. In a report Thursday it put figures on just how deep that could go. According to a survey by the ratings agency, global capital expenditure by companies across all sectors fell 10% in 2015………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The decline in Australia’s export commodity prices was interrupted in February. Commodity prices rose by 1.2 per cent in foreign currency terms in the month, figures from the Reserve Bank of Australia show. The increase in February was driven by gold and iron ore prices, although base metals and rural goods also rose in February, the RBA said.
Despite the small rise, which followed a 0.7 per cent drop in January, the RBA’s commodity price index was still down by 22 per cent from a year earlier and by 55 per cent from the peak in mid-2011………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Index ETFs have grown in popularity as a play for diversification and dollar-cost averaging. But are they really a safe and smart way to invest? I looked back over the last 23 years and found out it can vary — and it’s important to know why.
Dollar-cost averaging is where you buy a fixed-dollar amount of shares regularly (So, you buy more shares when the stock price is lower and less when it’s higher). Warren Buffett is a fan………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities, extended its record decline for the 12th straight session on Wednesday due to concerns about demand. The Baltic dry index is down about 98 percent from its peak of 11,793 points in May 2008, marking the lowest level since the records began in 1985.
The overall index, which gauges the cost of shipping resources including iron ore, cement, grain, coal and fertiliser, fell by 1 point to 290 points. The dry bulk market is expected to remain under pressure for longer because of weak demand for commodities, particularly from top global importer China………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Considering commodities were on pace to set the worst January since 1975 at one point, down 14.3% by January 20, the final monthly loss of just 5.2% is impressive. The S&P GSCI Total Return rebounded 10.6%, with nine of the twenty-four commodities posting gains for the month.
Does this mean commodities hit the bottom or that this is just a bounce in a much darker scenario? That probably depends on the oil supply decisions from Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran, in addition to Chinese demand growth, the strength of the dollar and the weather………………………………………..Full Article: Source

New Zealand’s commodity prices decreased for the third consecutive month in January, the results of a survey by ANZ showed Tuesday. The ANZ commodity price index dropped 2.3 percent month-over-month in January, which was worse than the 1.8 percent fall in December. The survey showed that prices were stable-to-better for nine of the 17 commodities monitored in January, with eight declining.
“Global commodity prices have started the year on the back foot, driven by falls in oil and industrial metals. Soft commodity price movements and prices in New Zealand’s specific export basket have been more mixed, however, varying with the fundamentals of each sector.” ANZ rural economist Con Williams said………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Prices for Australia’s key commodity exports continued to tumble in January. The latest commodity price index from the Reserve Bank of Australia fell by 2.9% in special drawing rights terms (SDR), largely in response to weakness in iron ore and oil prices.
The decline, following a 3.85% fall in December, left the index down 25.8% from 12 months earlier. From its all time peak of 138.2, struck in July 2011, the index has now fallen by 56% in SDR terms. It now sits at the lowest level seen since October 2005………………………………………..Full Article: Source

A gauge of returns on raw materials tumbled to the lowest since at least 1991, extending the agony that producers of energy, industrial metals and agricultural commodities faced in 2015. The Bloomberg Commodity Index, a measure of returns from 22 raw materials, fell as much as 1.5 percent to 74.02 on Tuesday.
A roundup of the bearish numbers: Crude oil in New York dipped below $30 a barrel, copper fell to less than $2 a pound and natural gas as low as $2.24 per million British thermal units. The expansion of the global economy has faltered, supplies of everything from oil to copper to grains are ample and a stronger dollar has eroded the appeal of raw materials as alternative investments………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Commodities markets were hit hard last year. A note from S&P Dow Jones Indicies global head of commodities Jodie Gunzberg observed that “2015 will go down in history as one of the worst years ever for commodities.”
The S&P GSCI, a major commodities index, lost 32.9% in 2015, according to the note. Here are some highlights from Gunzberg: 2015 ended the S&P GSCI’s first 3-year consecutive loss in its history, losing a total of 55.6% during this time………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The commodity rout is approaching an ugly new milestone, with losses across more members of a leading benchmark than in any year since the financial crisis. All but one of the 22 futures contracts in the Bloomberg Commodity Index are now lower in the year to date, with negative returns ranging from minus 6 per cent for sugar to a staggering 50 per cent plunge for natural gas. The last year so many constituents fell was 2008.
Down 26 per cent in the year to last Friday, the index is headed for the worst of five straight years of declines. The breadth of the washout across a varied basket of commodities highlights how pain has spread for producers from grain farmers to commodity exporting nations such as Brazil and Saudi Arabia………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Commodity prices are trading at their lowest levels since June 1999, according to a 22-member index compiled by Bloomberg. The Bloomberg Commodity Index, which tracks everything from lean hog and coffee futures to natural gas, fell 2.1 per cent on Monday to 79.97, breaching the 80 level for the first time in more than 16 years.
The 2.1 per cent fall is also the biggest daily decline for the index since September 1. Commodity prices are weakening across the board as the US dollar - the reserve currency for purchasing most commodities - continues to rise, while demand from China wanes and output among major commodity producers fails to slow down………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The Nikkei Commodity Indexes in November saw their biggest year-on-year declines since the autumn of 2009, when the global economy was still suffering from the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers a year earlier. The sharp downturn is casting a dark shadow over the global economy.
The Nikkei provides two commodity indexes. One tracks wholesale prices of 42 major materials — including crude oil, metals and foodstuffs — sensitive to economic trends; the other follows 17. Monitoring year-on-year changes in the readings allows for better global economic forecasts………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The recent downturn in Africa’s commodities markets might seem to signal dark times for the continent’s emerging economies. The slump in global oil prices prompted Angola’s government to end fuel subsidies; weak copper rates dramatically reduced the value of Zambia’s currency; and J.P. Morgan delisted the Nigerian naira from the Emerging Markets Bond Index.
But for long-term investors in Africa, these setbacks are blessings in disguise. They exposed the fault lines in sub-Saharan Africa’s growth narrative, but they also emphasized salient new opportunities at both the public and private investment levels………………………………………..Full Article: Source

As investments go, commodities have proven such a dog they almost seem not worth arguing about. Once-popular theories — that central bank money printing would inflate hard assets, or that China’s appetite for commodities was bottomless — have dissipated like natural gas from a poorly sealed well.
The Bloomberg Commodity Index, a basket of 22 futures contracts, is scraping the lowest levels in more than a decade. The benchmark chalked up a total return of minus 42 per cent over the past decade, even as the world burnt a tenth more oil and digested two-fifths more corn………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The Bloomberg Commodity Index (BCOM), which tracks 22 different commodities, is trading at the lowest levels since 2002 (below). The relationship between the US dollar and commodities is generally negatively correlated; with a strong US dollar, commodities have fallen.
This weakness in commodities, however, indicates that the global economy remains fragile with growth either slowing or not present at all in many countries. For investors, this weakness presents an opportunity………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The metal index may have corrected 50% in the past one year and metal stocks may appear good value-buys, but given the structural negatives of a slowing China and a strong dollar, it may not be too long before the long-term bearish trend reasserts itself.
According to a recent Barclays report, this is a much more severe commodity price downturn than any the market has experienced in recent history. The Chinese demand across metal commodities is likely to drop to 2-3% from double digits for the next 5 years and China consumes 40-50% of most of these commodities produced globally. The Bloomberg commodity index is back at 2002 levels, eroding almost all the gains of the commodity super cycle………………………………………..Full Article: Source

It was 2012, and energy executives and policy specialists were excited by the promise of shale gas. From Texas to Pennsylvania, a bonanza was under way. But inside the downtown Manhattan offices of S&P Dow Jones Indices, record US gas production was causing a problem. Oversupply was filling storage caverns, reducing returns from futures contracts for the product, disrupting an important benchmark used by investors.
The total return version of the S&P GSCI gas index had collapsed to a value of 0.58 from 100 when it launched. “The index value had declined to such a low level that it became prohibitive for people to price products on it,” recalls Michael McGlone, a former S&P senior director of commodity indexing. “It’s difficult to track an index that’s priced at less than one.”……………………………………….Full Article: Source

What is falling harder than commodity prices? Some exchange-traded funds that seek to track the companies that dig and drill for raw materials and fuel. It is no small feat to overshadow recent declines in industrial materials such as oil and metals. The Bloomberg Commodity Index, which tracks the prices of 22 raw materials, this week hit a 13-year low and is down 13% this year.
For 2015, copper prices have slumped 17%, oil prices have dropped 16% and gold prices have fallen 8%. Exchange-traded funds that track these commodities are down by a similar percentage. But some exchange-traded funds that invest in and aim to track the share prices of commodity-producing companies are doing much worse………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Attention commodities investors: Welcome back to 2008! The meltdown has pushed as many commodities into bear markets as there were in the month after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, which spurred the worst financial crisis seven years ago since the Great Depression.
Eighteen of the 22 components in the Bloomberg Commodity Index have dropped at least 20 per cent from recent closing highs, meeting the common definition of a bear market. That’s the same number as at the end of October 2008, when deepening financial turmoil sent global markets into a swoon………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The downward slide in commodity prices is accelerating, surpassing the low reached during the financial crisis in 2008 and reaching a 13-year low. “This is one of the worst months in history for commodities,” said Jodie Gunzberg, global head of commodities at S&P Dow Jones Indices.
The S&P GSCI index, a measure of a basket of 24 commodities, lost 14 percent of its value this month, with nearly every single component trading in negative territory. Indeed, the magnitude of the losses is shaping up to be the seventh worst in 45 years, data from S&P Dow Jones Indices show………………………………………..Full Article: Source

A new World Bank report forecasts that all main commodity price indices will decline in 2015, owing to “abundant supplies and, in the case of industrial commodities, weak demand”. The July Commodity Markets Outlook is particularly pessimistic on the outlook for metals prices, which are now projected to decline 17%, instead of the 12% forecast in April; a result of capacity increases and slowing Chinese demand.
The largest decline is expected for iron-ore, where a 46% slump is anticipated, owing to new low-cost mining capacity coming online, mainly in Australia. BHP Billiton reported a 13% increase in iron-ore production to a record 254-million tons for the year to June 30, while South Africa’s leading iron-ore producer Kumba Iron Ore has indicted that it is targeting a break-even cash iron-ore price of $45/t, with prices having fallen to around $50/t………………………………………..Full Article: Source