Initiative for Human Rights in Business » commodity

Barclays Speculate: the Video

John Richardson — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:48:30 +0000

This is a humorous take on a serious problem with profiting from commodity speculation at the cost of world hunger. Take a look.

FAO Food Price Index for July Suggests Trouble Ahead

John Richardson — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:33:07 +0000

Earlier this week, the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its Food Price Index numbers for July 2012. The numbers are not good, with the index reporting a rise in global food prices. “The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 213 points in July 2012, as much as 12 points (6 percent) up from June, but still well below the peak of 238 points reached in February 2011. The July surge of the Index followed three months of decline. The sharp rebound was mostly driven by a jump in grain and sugar prices, and more modest increases in oils/fats. International prices of meat and dairy products were little changed,” according to the FAO.

While the FAO notes that “{t}he forecast for world cereal production has been lowered from last month, which is likely to result in a smaller build-up of world inventories by the end of seasons in 2013 than previously anticipated. However, the overall supply and demand situation in 2012/13 remains adequate thanks to abundant supplies of rice, a leading food staple, and sufficient exportable supplies of wheat and coarse grains.”

But given the volatility in commodity prices, the risk to consumers worldwide remains at risk.

Negative Impacts of Commodities Speculation

John Richardson — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 04:08:55 +0000

A bibliography entitled “Evidence on the Negative Impact of Commodity Speculation by Academics, Analysts and Public Institutions,” has been updated with a number of additional papers on the topic. Compiled by Markus Henn, at the German NGO,WEED, it is a comprehensive compilation of research addressing the problem of commodities speculation and its impact on food security. The pdf document can be found here.