The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries has revealed that world demand for natural rubber (NR) rose year-on-year by 5.2%, to 11.7 million metric tons, between January and October 2018.
World production of NR, meanwhile, rose by 5.5% to 11.7 million metric tons, resulting in a shortfall of 228,000 metric tons during the same period.
In early October 2018, the International Monetary Fund revised its projection for global growth for 2019, down by 0.2% to 3.7%, in view of the negative effects of the trade measures in the six months since its World Economic Outlook April release. Commodities markets, such as oil and rubber, were among the more volatile sectors.
