The line graph illustrates how the average cost of three precious metals changed throughout the year 2014.
One of the most striking events can be seen in prices of nickel, which experienced significant volatility. It recorded a sharp decline during two periods – from January till March (by 5%), and then again – between April and June it declined to -3%.
In contrast, the changes in prices of zinc and copper exhibit less pronounced price swings. Although zinc had a steady drop between February and June (by 4%), it managed to reach its peak at 2.1% at the end of the year. Copper was continually changing over the given period, without any noticeable variations. It began at 2% in the first month and then finished the year at the point of 1.7%. Notably, indicators of all three metals remained stable from July to September.
Thus, over the course of the year, all three figures exhibited considerable fluctuations, with nickel showing the greatest decreases while zinc and copper displayed more stable trends by year-end.