Returns on commodities slip on oil prices to the lowest since 1991

London

A GAUGE of returns on raw materials tumbled to the lowest since at least 1991, extending the agony that producers of energy, industrial metals and agricultural commodities faced in 2015.

The Bloomberg Commodity Index, a measure of returns from 22 raw materials, fell as much as 1.5 per cent to 74.02 on Tuesday. A roundup of the bearish numbers: Crude oil in New York dipped below US$30 a barrel, copper fell to less than US$2 a pound and natural gas as low as US$2.24 per million British thermal units.