New York (HedgeCo.net) – The Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index ended up 0.99% for the month of August after investors on both sides of the pond looked to commodities as a safe haven for funds. Perpetuating the activity was the fact that Standard & Poor’s downgraded the credit rating for the United States from AAA to AA+. Some felt the move by S&P made investments in U.S. Treasuries – usually considered a favored secure investment because they’re government backed and dollar-denominated – more risky.

The Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index was up 0.99% for the month of August. The Dow Jones-UBS Single Commodity Indexes for Coffee, Corn and Gold had the strongest gains with month-end returns of 18.51, 13.57%, and 12.29%, respectively. The three most significant downside performing single commodity indexes were Orange Juice, Tin and Nickel, which were down 17.48%, 13.28%, and 11.25% respectively, in August.