News and Updates
What’s the latest in
World Rubber Industry
Cup-lump Shortage Hits Liberia’s TSR Industry
Experts seek policy intervention to ban cup-lump exports Block rubber or TSR processing factories in Liberia are increasingly challenged by a widening shortage of cup-lump in the country. With the recent opening of greenfield factories and capacity addition in the...
India’s Sheet Rubber Market Misses the Global Rally. Is this a New Normal?
The prices of RSS3 at Bangkok FOB, the global benchmark grade of ribbed smoked sheet of natural rubber, soared 20% over the first 30 days of January 2024. RSS prices at Bangkok are poised to scale further up and continue along a rising curve for the next six months,...
Are Natural Rubber Prices Gearing up for a Trend-break?
Natural rubber (NR) market foresees a potential tight supply emerging globally by the end of the first quarter of 2024. The trends up to October point to a massive fall in production in major producing countries for the full year 2023. The production in Thailand, the...
Rubber output drops in the ‘peak season’, signaling a potential supply uncertainty by end of Jan 2024
Natural rubber (NR) prices soared 10-15% in key Southeast Asian physical and futures markets between end-August and mid-October. Please see the attached table showing the percentage increase for different forms of NR in key markets. Charts of daily futures contract...
India Raises Customs Tariff on Compounded Rubber to 25%: A Futile Policy Intervention
India raised its rate of import duty (Customs tax) on Compounded Rubber (HS 400510, 400591 and 400599) bringing parity with that on natural rubber (HS 400121, 400122 and 400129). As per the Union Budget proposals presented to the Parliament on 1 Feb 2023, the new MFN...
Thailand’s rubber output this year seen jumping 11.7% to 5.4 million tons
Exports Jan-Aug zoom 10.3% to 3.034 million tons Natural rubber (NR) production this year in the world’s largest producing country, Thailand, is poised to leap 11.7% to 5.4 million tons, according to an estimate based on the exports up August. Thailand which...
China’s rubber imports jumped 14.5% to 464,000 tons in August. Jan-Aug imports are up 8.9% at 3.55 million tons
China posted a 14.5% jump in the quantity of natural rubber (Including mixture and compounds) imported into the country during August 2022 compared with the same month a year ago. Please have a look at the quantity of different forms of NR imported during the month of...
As rubber futures sustain momentum on Shanghai, what do they convey between lines?
A combination of factors is keeping sentiment down in natural rubber physical markets across Asia. The SICOM TSR20 is often considered as a close reflective of the sentiment in physical markets. The TSR20 contract for Dec 2022 expiration was traded 0.1% lower at...
Rubber gains on new hopes as China braces for 20th Party Congress
SHFE (Jan 2023): Closed at 13,135 yuan (+180 yuan, or 1.3%) SICOM TSR20 (Dec 2022): Closed at US$132.4 (+2.0 dollar, or 1.5%) JPX OSK RSS3 (Feb 2023): Settled at 227.5 yen (+3.6 yen or 1.6%) Despite the concern over an extremely aggressive policy tightening and rate...