Shadows on rubber

Compared to the record prices recorded in mid-February 2011, in recent weeks the list price of natural rubber has witnessed declines of up to 30%, mainly due to the falloff in demand for tyres in China and throughout northern Africa. In addition, the closure of Japanese car factors after the catastrophic earthquake has exacerbated the slump in rubber consumption.
In all three leading rubber manufacturing countries (Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia), local authorities are "defending" the quotations in view of a meeting of the IRC (International Rubber Consortium) which is scheduled before the end of March.