FIBER: Industrial Commodity Prices Post Broad-Based Gains in Latest Four Weeks
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
- Higher metals prices lead upturn.
- Crude oil & framing lumber prices also rise.
- Textile prices ease.
The Industrial Materials Price Index from the Foundation for International Business and Economic Research (FIBER) increased 1.1% during the four weeks ended December 5, 2025 after rising 0.3% in the prior four-week period. The index increased 2.1% y/y last week following a 1.6% y/y gain in the last week of November.
Metals sector prices increased 2.8% (12.6% y/y) in the last four weeks after a 0.3% slip in the prior four week-period. Tin prices surged 9.6% (38.9% y/y) in four weeks. The cost of copper scrap surged 5.2% (26.3% y/y) and the cost of steel scrap rose 2.9% (5.2% y/y) in four weeks. Zinc prices rose 2.6% (6.2% y/y) in four weeks but lead prices weakened 2.0% (-4.4% y/y. Also moving lower, the cost of aluminum eased 0.6% (+10.3% y/y).
Crude oil & benzene costs rose 1.7% (-6.4% y/y) in the last four weeks, following a 0.8% rise in the previous period. The price of the petro-chemical benzene surged 13.9% (-4.8% y/y) in four weeks. Moving down, the cost of West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 2.2% in four weeks to $59.01 per barrel and declined 14.0% y/y. The price remained increased from a low of $58.47 in the third week of last month.
Excluding crude oil, the industrial commodity price index increased 1.3% (3.1% y/y) over the last four weeks after rising 0.6% during the prior four-week period.
Miscellaneous sector prices improved 0.8% in the last four weeks, down 2.9% y/y, after rising 0.3% in the prior period. The cost of tallow, used for frying & baking, rose 8.4% (14.4% y/y) in four weeks. Natural rubber prices rose 1.3% in four weeks, but declined 13.0% y/y. Framing lumber prices eased 0.6% (-8.9% y/y) in four weeks.
Textile group prices eased 0.4% during the last four weeks after rising 0.7% in the prior four-week periods. They strengthened 2.7% y/y. The cost of burlap declined 4.0% in the last four weeks while soaring 43.2% over the last year. Cotton prices improved 0.5% in four weeks but declined 7.2% y/y.
The Foundation for International Business and Economic Research develops economic measurement techniques as applied to business cycles and inflation in the U.S. and other market economies. The commodity price data can be found in Haver's DAILY, WEEKLY, USECON and CMDTY databases.
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
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