Thailand: Base metal prices skyrocketing, aggravating costs in industrial sector.

(From Thai Press Reports)

Section: Research - For a while now, commodity prices have been surging alarmingly. In April, the prices of several commodities, i.e., crude oil, gold and base metals reached all-time highs on several occasions. Oil prices in the New York futures market touched a record high of USD75.17/bbl. on April 21, 2006, while Brent oil futures in London struck a historically high level of USD74.57/bbl. Meanwhile, all precious metals saw their prices climb. On April 26, gold prices soared beyond USD630/oz., up 23 percent over the end of 2005, while silver and platinum prices have risen 44 percent and 17 percent over the 2005 year-end, respectively. …