Global| Jun 20 2016CRB Commodity Price Index Strengthens
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The Commodity Research Bureau reported that its Index of Spot Commodity Prices has been moving up. The 1.2% gain during the last four weeks added to earlier increases to lift prices during the last 6 months by 11.1%. Strength in the [...]
The Commodity Research Bureau reported that its Index of Spot Commodity Prices has been moving up. The 1.2% gain during the last four weeks added to earlier increases to lift prices during the last 6 months by 11.1%.
Strength in the Foodstuffs subgroup recently has led the increase with a 3.1% rise, paced by strength in butter, cheese, cocoa and coffee prices. Prices in the Fats & Oils also have gained. Livestock prices recently were fairly steady, but during the last three & six months pricing power has improved.
The recent stability of factory sector production has made for little pricing power for industrial commodities. Prices in the Metals group recently have been weak, held back by declines in prices for copper, copper scrap & iron ore. On the strong side have been prices for scrap metals as well as for steel. Prices for Textiles have moved sideways.
Commodity price data can be found in Haver's DAILY, WEEKLY, USECON and CMDTY databases.
| CRB Spot Commodity Price Index (1967=100) | 1-Mth % | 3-Mth % | 6-Mth % | 12-Mth % | 2015 % | 2014 % | 2013 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Commodities | 1.2 | 5.6 | 11.1 | -0.5 | -13.9 | 1.1 | -3.0 |
| Metals | -0.4 | 5.6 | 23.7 | -5.8 | -23.6 | 1.7 | 0.6 |
| Textiles | -0.3 | 0.2 | -0.9 | 1.2 | -2.2 | -3.1 | 0.1 |
| Raw Industrials | -0.1 | 3.2 | 12.8 | -3.0 | -14.2 | -0.3 | 0.8 |
| Foodstuffs | 3.1 | 9.2 | 8.6 | 3.1 | -13.5 | 3.1 | -8.3 |
| Fats & Oils | 2.7 | 14.1 | 16.3 | 9.7 | -20.9 | -2.4 | -7.4 |
| Livestock | 0.5 | 11.2 | 22.6 | -2.3 | -23.9 | 5.2 | 1.0 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
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