During 2013, the prices of various energy
commodities increased from 2012 lev-
els or were down modestly as prices of
non-energy commodities generally fell
significantly. Prices for natural gas, west-
ern coal, electricity, and WTI crude were
all higher (on average) in 2013 than in
2012, while the price of North Sea Brent
crude oil, various petroleum products
and eastern coal all dropped.
In total, the divergence between price
trends for energy and non-energy com-
modities grew after the summer of 2013.
This is in contrast to 2012 when metals
prices were stable or experienced slight
increases, and a severe drought drove
prices of some agricultural commodi-
14 June 2014 | FueL OIL neWS | www.fueloilnews.com
EIA N e w s
Change in Energy Prices Mixed In 2013
as Prices of Non-energy Commodities Fell
Principal contributors: Rebecca George, M. Tyson Brown
Charts
Source:
U.S.
Energy
Information
Administration
based
on
Bloomberg,
L.P.
Note: Price changes are derived by taking the difference in annual average prompt contract price for each commodity for all trading days in
2012 and 2013. This method allows for comparisons of different commodity classes on a consistent basis. PRB coal is Powder River Basin
Coal. CAPP coal is Central Appalachia Coal. WTI is West Texas Intermediate, a benchmark for both physical and financial crude oil pricing
located in Cushing, Okla. RBOB gasoline is a kind of gasoline based on a reformulated blendstock for oxygenate blending.
Note: Values are indexed to the first trading day of each year. The fifth component of the S&P GSCI Index, livestock, is not shown in the graph.
