China's bulk commodity price index up for eight consecutive months

China

China's bulk commodity price index up for eight consecutive months

2026-01-05 11:15 Last Updated At：17:37

China's bulk commodity price index continued its upward trend in December 2025, marking the eighth straight month of month-on-month gains and the highest level recorded since June 2024, according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) on Monday.

The index stood at 117.9 points in December, up 3.2 percent from November, data released by the CFLP showed.

Of the 50 major types of bulk commodities monitored by the federation, 31 saw price rises on a monthly basis.

The strongest gains were seen in lithium carbonate, refined tin and apples, with month-on-month rises of 15.5 percent, 11.7 percent, and 8.5 percent, respectively.

Analyzed by sectors, the sub-index for nonferrous metals prices rose 4.9 percent month on month, the sub-index for agricultural products prices saw an increase of 2.5 percent month on month, and the sub-indexes for mineral prices, ferrous metals prices and chemical prices also edged up slightly, increasing by 0.8 percent, 0.4 percent, and 0.3 percent month on month respectively.

Protesters gather outside court to urge US to free Maduro

Demonstrators gathered outside a New York federal court on Monday, protesting against the U.S. seizure and criminal indictment of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Protesters held Venezuelan flags and placards, and called for the release of Maduro.

The Venezuelan president made his first court appearance Monday morning in New York after he was captured by U.S. forces in Venezuela on Saturday, along with his wife Cilia Flores.

Maduro pleaded not guilty to all U.S. charges during his first court appearance in New York.

"I am innocent, I am not guilty," Maduro told the court, adding that he was seized at his home in Caracas and that he remains the president of Venezuela, according to media inside the courtroom.

Cilia Flores said at court that she is completely innocent of the charges brought against her by the United States, according to media reports.

The next hearing on the case against Maduro is scheduled for March 17.

In the early hours of Saturday, U.S. military forces carried out attacks and bombings in Caracas and other parts of Venezuela and took Maduro and his wife by force, before putting them in custody in New York.