Title: Commodity prices collapse to lowest in 12 years
Headings: Commodity prices collapse to lowest in 12 years
Commodity prices collapse to lowest in 12 years
Bloomberg Commodity index reaches lowest level since August 2002

Content: China economic growth slows
China economic growth slows - Highcharts Cloud
Quarterly GDP growth (%) China economic growth slows 2010 2012 2014 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Highcharts.com
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The slowdown in the Chinese economy, the world's largest consumer of commodities, has caused a sharp fall in oil prices. The Brent Crude price has fallen 57pc in under a year
Brent crude – a global benchmark of oil from 15 fields in the North Sea – has fallen from $115 per barrel in June last year to just $48.9 per barrel in current trading. The strength of the US dollar has also hit commodity prices hard. Because most commodities are freely traded in international markets, commodity prices are quoted in US dollars. When the dollar rises they become more expensive and this hits demand. Dollar index reaches heighest point since 2003
The US dollar index, which tracks the price of the US dollar against the worlds currencies, has increased by more than 18pc within the past six months as the economy strengthens and on market expectations of an increase in interest rates this year. Twitter Icon
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