Economics
Commodities Post First Drop in 5 Years as Corn to Gold Tumble
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Commodities posted the first annual drop in five years as supply exceeded demand for corn to sugar to nickel and investors lost faith in precious metals as a store of value amid signs that economies are improving.
The Standard & Poor’s GSCI Spot Index of 24 raw materials fell 0.6 percent to settle at 632.29 at 4 p.m. New York time, capping a 2.2 percent decline this year. Corn led the retreat with a 40 percent plunge, followed by silver and gold. Commodity-fund investments fell by a record $88 billion to $332 billion in the 11 months ended Nov. 30, Barclays Plc estimates.