Prices in many commodity derivatives markets remain highly volatile, as hedge funds and other financial firms rush out as rapidly as they piled in. The lack of prompt action to address this suggests that regulators and policymakers are still putting financial interests above the interests of everyone else.
NEW DELHI – Primary commodity prices have been on a roller-coaster ride for the past year, and especially for the past six months. In the futures markets, crude oil prices rose by 39% in the month from February 8 to March 8, 2022, from $89 per barrel to $124 per barrel, and then fell by 23% in the following month to $95 per barrel. The price climbed again, to $122 per barrel, on June 8, but had declined to $88 per barrel on August 4 – below the level of early February.
NEW DELHI – Primary commodity prices have been on a roller-coaster ride for the past year, and especially for the past six months. In the futures markets, crude oil prices rose by 39% in the month from February 8 to March 8, 2022, from $89 per barrel to $124 per barrel, and then fell by 23% in the following month to $95 per barrel. The price climbed again, to $122 per barrel, on June 8, but had declined to $88 per barrel on August 4 – below the level of early February.