Commodities

2012 was a particularly tough year for some sectors, notably commodities and gold, as fears over global growth weighed on demand for materials.

MAM Funds' Simon Callow has been adding risk back into his £190m CF Midas Balanced Growth fund over the last quarter as policymakers work to steer the eurozone into recovery mode.

Shares in BG Group have slumped 19% this morning after the oil and gas giant said it does not expect any production growth next year.

The FTSE 100 looks set to replicate the falls seen in Asian markets overnight as weak manufacturing data from China dragged on shares and sent metal prices downwards.

Markets were subdued in afternoon trading as fears over China, coupled with instability in the Middle East, weighed on investor sentiment.

BP has moved to offload a chunk of its oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico in a deal worth $5.5bn (£3.4bn), as the oil major continues to raise cash to cover the cost of the catastrophe in 2010.

Schroders is to reopen its $3.1bn Commodity fund, run by Robert Howell, having restricted access to the vehicle in February 2010.

Resources funds are among the largest losers of the year so far as sharp falls in the price of oil and other commodities took their toll.

The UK's largest companies were climbing this morning on the back of Chinese stimulus hopes, after Shanghai Securities News said Chinese banks have "sped up" lending.

They have had a rocky ride, but ultimately investors with nerves of steel who backed the UK's biggest commodity stocks over the last ten years would have been rewarded for their patience.