Preliminary estimates for August indicate that the index fell by 3.1 per cent (on a monthly average basis) in SDR terms, after falling by 3.6 per cent in July (revised). The largest contributors to the decline in August were the prices of iron ore and oil. The base metals and rural commodities subindices both declined in the month. In Australian dollar terms, the index declined by 1.0 per cent in August. Over the past year, the index has fallen by 20.9 per cent in SDR terms, led by declines in the prices of bulk commodities. The index has fallen by 7.4 per cent in Australian dollar terms over the past year. ... (full story)