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Tracking Commodity Prices - Free Chart Download
26th January 2011
Commodity markets are rarely far from the front pages of the economics and business news coverage. The surge in world food prices in 2008 was followed by a steep fall in many prices during the recession. But rampant food price inflation is back on the economic and political agenda. I have made available below my own commodity price chartroom PowerPoint - in it I follow the world price of between eight to ten soft commodities ranging from sugar to wheat, from cocoa to frozen orange juice.
It allows me to print off updated price charts when we look at a particular market and in the past a good assignment has been to get students to choose a commodity of interest and then research some of the supply and demand factors that might explain recent price movements.
Behind each chart I have linked to a recent BBC news video story on the commodity in question - I find these short news videos an excellent way to provide some visual stimulus and background to what might be happening in the market and the impact on producers and consumers in different countries.
I hope this might be a useful resource for AS microeconomics
Commodity Price Charts
Global_Food_Prices.pptx
Check below for some recent Tutor2u blog posts on the economics of food prices and commodity price volatility
Geoff Riley
Geoff Riley FRSA has been teaching Economics for over thirty years. He has over twenty years experience as Head of Economics at leading schools. He writes extensively and is a contributor and presenter on CPD conferences in the UK and overseas.