Commodity prices, commodities with international prices, fell in March. The Commodities Index Brazil (IC-Br), calculated monthly by the Central Bank (BC), registered a decrease of 1.56%, in comparison with February. In 12 months ended in March, the index registered growth 8.35% and in the first quarter, down 0.33%, informs the “Agência Brasil”.
The IC-Br is calculated based on the variation in reais of the prices of Brazilian commodities traded abroad. The BC notes the products that are relevant to the price dynamics in Brazil.
In March, the energy segment – oil, natural gas and coal – rose 2.07%. In the case of metals – aluminum, iron ore, copper, tin, zinc, lead, nickel, gold and silver – there was a decrease of 3.3%. The agricultural segment – beef, cotton, soybean oil, wheat, sugar, corn, coffee, rice, pork, cocoa and orange juice – registered a drop of 2.15% in the month. The CRB international commodity price index, calculated by the Commodity Research Bureau, rose 1.2% last month, from 2.41% in the first quarter and 7.17% in 12 months.