As of January xth, xxxx, the global market for natural rubber had begun its year off strong due to continued strong demand for physical material, increased interest by speculators and a tight supply situation. Futures contracts were trading at their highest level in almost nine months during this week due to increased investor confidence and increased trading activity after New Year&#xx;s. During this week, OSE June-delivery contracts were up x.x percent week-over-week, while SHFE natural rubber in Shanghai increased x.x percent and INE contracts increased x.x percent. With SICOM natural rubber futures increasing x.x percent, it was obvious that there was significant buying interest in the market. Physical natural rubber continued to trade at a premium to futures, indicating the limited supply caused by reduced output from ASEAN producers.
Due to the holiday season, there was little trading activity at year-end xxxx, resulting...
