LONDON—Natural rubber markets presented a mixed picture in the two weeks to March 25 as crude prices stabilized, following a sharp rise earlier in the month.
In Japan, rubber futures rose to their highest in more than two weeks, helped by weakness of the yen against the U.S. dollar.
The Osaka Exchange rubber contract for August delivery finished $2.07/kg (Yen 256.3/kg) on March 25, up nearly 5 percent compared to two weeks earlier.
In China, however, an outbreak of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and its impact on a number of tire makers saw Shanghai futures slide 2.2 percent to $2,124/metric ton (Yuan 13,510/ton).
In physical markets, prices headed north in India as weekly average for Kottyam RSS4 rubber rose 2.5 percent, due mainly to tight supply, import hurdles and higher crude prices.
In Kuala Lumpur, however, latex prices fell nearly 6 percent as global COVID-19 restrictions were eased and demand for rubber gloves slowed down.
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