The line graph illustrates the percentage change in the prices of copper, nickel, and zinc from January to December 2014.
Overall, nickel exhibited the most volatility, with dramatic fluctuations throughout the year, while copper and zinc followed relatively steadier trends. All three metals declined in the first half of the year, but only zinc and copper demonstrated sustained recoveries in the final quarter, closing at 1.5% and 0.8% respectively, whereas nickel remained unstable.
In detail, nickel surged to a yearly peak of 6% in January before plummeting to its lowest point (-3.5%) in June. Despite a brief recovery in July, it fluctuated sharply again, dipping back into negative territory in October (-1.2%) before a marginal year-end rise.
Copper and zinc mirrored each other initially, both peaking at approximately 3% in February and declining steadily until June. However, zinc’s recovery was more pronounced, rising consistently from September to December (1.5%), while copper’s growth was more modest (0.8%). Notably, nickel was the only metal to record two negative phases (June and October), underscoring its instability.