Preliminary estimates for September show the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) Index of Commodity Prices rose by 1.9 per cent in Special Drawing Rights (SDR) terms, following a 1.2 per cent increase in August. Gains were recorded across the rural, non-rural, and base metals sub indices.

In Australian dollar terms, the index increased by 0.7 per cent in September.

Over the past year, the index has remained broadly unchanged in SDR terms, with weaker prices for thermal coal, coking coal, and liquefied natural gas offset by higher prices for gold, iron ore, and rural commodities. On a currency-adjusted basis, the index has risen 4.3 per cent in Australian dollar terms over the same period.

Consistent with previous releases, preliminary export price estimates have been applied for iron ore, coking coal, thermal coal, and LNG, based on market data. Using spot prices for the bulk commodities index, the measure rose 1.6 per cent in SDR terms in September, standing 2.9 per cent higher year-on-year.

The RBA noted that further details regarding the construction of the index can be found in “Changes to the RBA Index of Commodity Prices: 2013” (March 2013 Bulletin) and “Weights for the Index of Commodity Prices” (April 2025).

All Date & Source:https://www.rba.gov.au/

Full details are provided in the accompanying table and graph.