RTAE: Rubber prices ‘stuck in the doldrums’

London – "Once again, TSR 20 prices remained depressed and fairly static,” the UK-based Rubber Trade Association of Europe (RTAE) said in its August monthly digest.

The comment accompanied a chart showing pricing for July, with a 10 €cent/kg rise largely attributed to some weakening of the Euro/US dollar exchange rate.

This currency effect was more pronounced towards the end of the month, said RTAE, which went on to note the impact of continuing geopolitical developments on NR trading.

In particular, it saw, “little sign of improvement, actual or anticipated, in the auto production sector," while Trump administration’s “tariff mania has done nothing to stabilise market outlook.”

And, concluded RTAE, with the threat of further tariff increases on US imports from a wide range of countries in early August, “the economic outlook and rubber prices remains uncertain.”