By Richard Dunbar, Investment Solutions, Aberdeen Asset Management
To the annus horribilis in the occasionally peculiar world of commodities has been added a mensis horribilis. In the past four weeks oil is down 20 per cent, copper down 10 per cent, corn 10 per cent and even gold is down 7 per cent. It doesn’t seem that long since mining executives were sitting in front of us talking of the commodity ‘supercycle’. But what has happened in the past few weeks to spook these markets further?