TOKYO—Natural rubber futures have made gains amid "stronger-than-expected" Chinese economic growth, according to Japan Exchange Group (JPX).
All Far East major exchanges closed the trading week ended Jan. 17 higher, driven by "short covering and fresh speculative buying," JPX reported Jan. 20.
In Osaka, Japan, OSE's June-2025 contract rose 4.4 percent week-on-week in moderate trading.
In Shanghai, the SHFE rubber futures for May delivery rose 3 percent compared to the week before, while INE April 2025 delivery contract was up 2.1 percent week-on-week.
In Singapore, SICOM's April 2025 contract edged up 1.6 percent week-on-week, in moderate trading.
SICOM prices were supported by strong buying reflected by the INE market and "light local speculative buying," said the report.
The rally, according to JPX, was fueled by "robust Chinese economic indicators", including a fourth quarter GDP growth of 5.4 percent, contributing to a full-year growth of 5.0 percent.
Furthermore, December vehicle sales in China rose 10.5 percent year-on-year to "a record high" of 3,488,605 units, up 5.2 percent compared to November.