[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Big Black Badger You're assuming x = y, when there is a lot more to the situation than that. For one, prices are always going to rise over time because of inflation. If inflation in US currency is 3% for a year, all else equal, prices of all goods will rise 3%. Apply this over a decade of time, say 2000 to 2010 as an example period, and a dollar is worth 26.6% less over that time. That is a real world number. If Copper prices rise 26.6% over that time from 2000 to 2010 - in reality, in real dollar terms, they have risen 0%. This is completely ignoring how currencies rise and fall in relation to each other, suppliers and futures owners holding product off the market, and demand outstripping short term supply - factories need time to come online. In short, think about it a bit more.[/quote] Even if you'd account inflation, you'd still have a price increase of 394% (04-06 period) for copper, 139% for diamond (00-10 period) and 1674% for iron (00-10 period). These drastic price increases can't be explained by inflation.