market conditions

Japan Sees Imports and Exports of Rubber Products Drop Significantly Amid Pandemic

Japan’s exports of rubber products fell 23.2 percent year-on-year to 453.8 billion yen ($4.3 billion) over January–August, while imports were down 11.3 percent to 273.8 billion yen, according to trade figures published by the Ministry of Finance and compiled by the Japan Rubber Manufacturers Association (JRMA). The spread of COVID-19 had a significant impact on both fronts here. Exports showed...

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Rubber and Plastic Hose Sector Faces Mixed Outlook for Market Recovery

Demand trends for rubber and plastic hoses appear to be showing mixed signs at present, with different prospects lying ahead for each application. In the area of automotive hoses, things have been slowly trending upward, spurred on by an automotive production rebound that started in summer. But at the same time, there appears to be little hope of a quick...

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Falling Naphtha Prices Bring About Strong Expectation of Price Drops for Synthetic Rubber

Naphtha prices, which serve as a basis for the likes of the synthetic rubber market, are showing a significant drop amid tough market conditions. As of March 24, prices in Tokyo’s open-spec naphtha market are sitting at a median of $195 per ton when looking at product set to be delivered in late May. This is roughly a third of...

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Japanese Tire Manufacturers Struggle to Predict How Coronavirus Will Impact 2020 Business Results

Japan’s four major tire manufacturers – Bridgestone Corp. (TYO:5108), Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (TYO:5110), Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (TYO:5101) and Toyo Tires Corp. (TYO:5105) – are all forecasting improvements at the operating profit level for calendar 2020. Bridgestone is using adjusted operating profit here, while Sumitomo Rubber and Yokohama Rubber use business profit. However, with Bridgestone noting that it is...

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Major Tire Companies Plan Production Increases for 2019 While Projecting Rising Sales, Falling Profits

Japan’s four major tire manufacturers have now posted their earnings forecasts for calendar 2019, with the general trend of expectations here pointing to increased sales and decreased profits. And amid this, all four of the companies are planning increases to their production capacity. While a number of factors make 2019 a difficult year to predict – including the U.S.–China trade...

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Growth to Asian Butadiene Prices Recedes in 2018 After Strong Showing in 2017

Butadiene prices in the Asian market dropped back slightly for 2018 after surging up in 2017. This then formed the topic at a recent executive meeting of the Japan Rubber Manufacturers Association (JRMA), with the association covering a range of information about trends in the market. Looking back, the meeting highlighted that butadiene prices continued to rise – in conjunction...

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