Rubber futures continue to decline amid slow demand

Tokyo – Natural rubber futures remained weak during the final full week of trading in July, closing lower across all major exchanges.

Prices continued to drift lower amid concerns about lower demand and slowdown in the Chinese economy, reported Japan Exchange Group (JPX) 29 July.

Weekly trading volume was recorded higher across all exchanges, though open interest dropped – suggesting that traders had closed out their positions.

In Osaka, Japan, OSE's December 2024 contract declined 0.5% week-on-week, while trading volume increased by 1,099 lots compared to the previous week.

Here, JPX noted that market sentiment remained "weak", with prices hovering below both the 50-day and 100- day moving averages.

In China, SHFE rubber futures for January delivery reported a 0.9% drop week-on-week, while INE saw a more marginal decline.

In Singapore, SICOM October contract lost 0.4% in moderately active trading. Prices, here, remained in a tight range without showing any clear direction

“Market uncertainty has kept prices trading sideways within a narrow range over the past couple of weeks,” JPX commented in its latest market review.