Commodity Blog

Crude oil declined today for a second day on concerns that slower economic growth in China and the US will damp demand. Year-on-year industrial production expansion in China slowed to 13.4 percent in July, compared to the June growth of 13.7 percent. The report that US inventories of crude oil declined for a second week may support the prices. September delivery for crude oil slipped $1.35 (1.7 percent) to $78.90 per barrel as of 9:57 on NYMEX.

Copper prices also fell on concerns for the global economy. The metal prices slid after the Federal Reserve said that the US economic recovery would be “more modest” and as pace of China’s industrial output growth was slowest in 11 months. Copper also dropped as the dollar surged. September futures for copper delivery went down $0.0705 (2.1 percent) to $3.242 per pound as of 11:22 on COMEX.

If you have any questions and comments on the commodities today, use the form below to reply.