Natural rubber price tracker: Markets improve

London – Natural rubber (NR) prices were generally subdued in recent weeks, despite a steady improvement across most Far East markets. 

ERJ's snapshot of the markets observed an uptrend in almost all of the markets, with Tocom RSS3 back month prices registering an 8% increase over the two weeks to 21 Feb. 

While the outbreak of Covid-19 (coronavirus) in China helped demand from the rubber gloves industry, a general slowdown in production and trade, particularly with China, has weighed down on the prices.

Shanghai SHFE ru2005: Yuan 11,720 (21 Feb) compared to Yuan 11,330/tonne (7 Feb) 
Tokyo Tocom RSS3 back month: Yen189.5/kg compared to Yen175.2/kg 
Tokyo Tocom TSR20 back month: Yen152.0/kg compared to Yen153.1/kg 
Singapore SGX TSR20: $ 1.36/kg compared to $1.32/kg 
Kuala Lumpur SMR20: $137.45/100kg compared to $130.87/100kg 
Kuala Lumpur Latex: $112.59/100kg compared to $108.22/100kg