Rubber prices saw a 28 percent decline in 2022 but 2023 has been a different story. The year has started on a slightly positive note with international rubber prices trading at near one-month highs.

Tokyo – Natural rubber future prices closed higher in most of the major exchanges over the trading week to 19 May, Tokyo-based JPX has reported. Trading volumes, however, were “sharply” down versus the previous trading week across all major exchanges, added the exchange’s weekly review issued 22 May.

In the second quarter of this year, China‘s GDP growth rate slowed to 0.4% YOY, and it actually increased by 2.5% in the first half of the year. As an important part of stabilizing global economic development, how China's economy performs in the second half of the year has a very important impact on global commodity demand. China's economic development trend in H2 can focus on two aspects, one is the uncertainty brought up by the covid and with mass testing, lockdowns and other restrictions to contain covid, and the other is real estate adjustment and its related industries and investments.