NEW YORK, February 8 (FinanceEnquiry.com) - Commodities increased to the highest level in more than five months. The rise comes following a downfall in the dollar, after Federal Reserve chairman Ben S. Bernanke stated that the U.S. jobs market will not be a healthy one for a long time. The Standard & Poor’s GSCI Index of 24 commodities has added 0.8 percent to 673.99, which is the highest level since August 31.

After Bernanke’s statement, which sent the dollar to its lowest level against the euro since December 12, oil futures also increased by nearly 2.3 percent. Even gold, aluminum and copper also increased. For March delivery, Oil climbed $1.47, or 1.5 percent, to $98.38 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after dropping to $95.84 a barrel. The oil prices have dropped 0.5 percent this year.

It was for the first time that Gold rose in all the three sessions, increasing demand for the precious metals as an alternative investment. The futures of this metal for April delivery jumped 0.6 percent to $1,735.50 an ounce on the Comex in New York. Its price plunged 2 percent in the previous two sessions.

Copper futures for March delivery also increased by 0.1 percent to $3.8695 a pound on the Comex, however, previously, the metal dropped as much as 1.8 percent. Moreover, Aluminum also jumped $32, or 1.4 percent, to $2,255 a ton on the London Metal Exchange and heating oil gained nearly 1.6 percent to $3.2208 a gallon, which is the highest price since May 3.