Connect with us

Mining

Ranked: How Key Commodities Have Performed Since 2019

Published

on

See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

This graphic ranks key commodities by their annual performance since 2019

Use This Visualization

Ranked: How Key Commodities Have Performed Since 2019

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Commodities have experienced significant volatility over the past several years, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions.

In this graphic, we rank 11 key commodities by their annual performance since 2019.

Data and Key Takeaways

The numbers we used to create this graphic are listed in the table below.

Commodity201920202021202220232024
🏗️ Aluminum-3%10%42%-15%0%7%
🛢️ Brent Oil22%-22%53%9%-10%-3%
☕ Coffee27%-1%76%-26%13%70%
⚙️ Copper4%26%26%-14%2%3%
🌽 Corn3%25%23%14%-31%-3%
🔥 Gas-34%16%42%4%-27%32%
🏅 Gold18%25%-4%0.4%15%26%
⛏️ Iron Ore34%70%-28%-1%23%-24%
⛏️ Nickel32%18%25%45%-44%-8%
🌱 Soybeans7%40%1%14%-15%-23%
🍬 Sugar12%15%22%6%3%-6%

Java Prices Surge ☕

Like many other agricultural commodities, coffee bean prices have seen huge swings in recent years. This volatility is usually due to climate challenges in leading export countries such as Brazil and Vietnam.

Brazil, which grows arabica beans, suffered a severe drought in 2024 which amplified fires, interrupted hydro power, and parched crops.

During the same year, Vietnam’s coffee trees were negatively impacted by heat waves which shrink the size of coffee cherries (the fruit that contains the coffee bean). Vietnam is the world’s top supplier of robusta beans, which is commonly used for instant coffee.

Gold Also On the Rise 🥇

Gold has been a top performing commodity over the past two years, after weaker performance in the post-COVID years of 2021 and 2022.

This is being driven by several factors:

  • High demand from central banks: Central banks (emphasis on China’s) have been building their gold reserves to diversify away from the U.S. dollar
  • Geopolitical tensions: Global conflicts and trade wars are making safe-haven assets like gold more attractive
  • Inflation concerns: Gold is also viewed as a hedge against inflation, further bolstering its demand

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoy graphics like these, check out The World’s Biggest Cocoa Producers on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

Click for Comments
Hinrich Foundation IMD Sustainable Trade Index 2024. Download the free report.

Discover more visuals with Voronoi by Visual Capitalist Logo

Most Commonly Diagnosed Types of Cancer (Men & Women)

Popular