Preliminary estimates for July indicate that the index fell by 5.0 per cent (on a monthly average basis) in SDR terms, after rising by 1.5 per cent in June (revised). The largest contributors to the decline in July were the prices of iron ore and coking coal. The base metals and rural commodities subindices both fell in the month. In Australian dollar terms, the index declined by 1.7 per cent in July. Over the past year, the index has fallen by 20.2 per cent in SDR terms, led by declines in the prices of bulk commodities. The index has fallen by 8.5 per cent in Australian dollar terms over the past year. Consistent ... (full story)