Even as the stock market continues its heady rally and some economic indicators suggest that the economy is improving , the surge in commodity prices, many of them unavoidable staples, has wreaked havoc on small business profit margins.

But, the pain is certainly not being felt equally by all. Some industries have been hit harder then others over the past 12 months. Below is a breakdown of the most problematic price increases effecting countless small businesses across multiple sectors:

Oil- Currently trading at almost $114 dollars a barrel, the spike in the cost of crude oil has definitely been one of the most well-publicized commodity price increases- especially as Americans come to grips with their gas pump sticker shock. The rise in oil prices have effected the majority of American small businesses in some way, whether via increased shipping and delivery costs or the increased cost of business travel. Those that operate gas-powered machinery and equipment have also been hit particularly hard. Moreover, the increase in crude oil has led to increase in the cost of oil used for heating.

Corn- With demand outpacing supply, these tiny kernels have certainly played their part in the overall increase in food prices over the past year.

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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Eike Batista, chairman of Brazilian conglomerate EBX Group, predicted Monday that the price of gold will hit $2,500 an ounce.

Mr. Batista’s remarks came during a lunch-time discussion at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference. The panel was moderated by The Wall Street Journal’s Paul Gigot.

Mr. Batista didn’t give a timeframe for his prediction.

EBX Group is a holding company that has operations in mining, energy and logistics. Mr. Batista is, however, no stranger to gold, having started off his mining empire during the Brazilian “gold rush” in the 1970s and 1980s, buying up gold produced by so-called garimpeiros, or wildcat miners, in the Brazilian Amazon, where he helped build up Canada’s TVX Gold Inc. operation.

Mr. Batista later started to consider gold risky, selling out his TVX stake for $1 billion to Anglo American PLC , which also bought his Minas-Rio iron ore mine as a part of a $5.5 billion iron ore assets package in 2008, just before iron ore prices slumped in the worldwide economic crisis and Mr. Batista strengthened his interests in oil, which looked more promising.

Displaying Mr.

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