The line graph illustrates the average month-on-month percentage changes in the prices of three metals, namely copper, nickel and zinc, throughout the year 2014.
Overall, nickel experienced the most dramatic fluctuations, recording both the highest increase and the sharpest decline. By contrast, copper remained relatively stable for most of the year, while all three metals witnessed a recovery towards the end of the period.
In January, nickel saw a substantial increase of approximately 6%, considerably higher than copper and zinc, at around 2% and 1% respectively. However, nickel’s monthly price growth declined sharply over the following months, reaching 1% in March before falling dramatically to -3% in June. It subsequently recovered to approximately -1% in July, remained at this level until September, and dropped again to -2% in October. By December, it had rebounded to roughly 1.5%.
Copper, meanwhile, experienced a gradual decline from 2% in January to approximately -1% in June. It then recovered to around 1% in July and maintained this figure until September, before slipping slightly in October. Zinc followed a different pattern, falling from approximately 3% in February to -1% in June. After remaining below zero for several months, it rose considerably, finishing the year at about 2%.