The given line chart illustrates the percentage of average monthly variations in the prices of three metals over the course of 2014.
Overall, it is clear that all types of metals experienced a fluctuation over a one-year period. Nickel showed the highest percentage of the mean monthly changes at the beginning of the period, while that of zinc surpassed at the end of the period.
At the beginning of the year, in January, the prices of all metals rose sharply, especially nickel, which increased by about 6%. Copper and zinc also saw price growth, though to a lesser extent, at around 2% and 4% respectively. However, from February onwards, prices for all metals declined, with a particularly steep fall in May when nickel’s price dropped to around -3%, while copper and zinc declined slightly less.
From June to October, copper and zinc prices stabilized, fluctuating within a narrow range between -1% and 1%. Nickel, however, remained unstable, showing alternating increases and decreases over this period. Towards the end of the year, in November and December, all three metals recorded modest recoveries, ending with positive growth rates again.