Frequent news developments, short-term natural rubber mainly fluctuates

Due to seasonal low operating rates domestically and slow destocking, as of March 29, 2026, China’s social inventory of natural rubber was 1.35 million tons, down 10k tons from the previous month, a decrease of 0.8%. China’s total social inventory of dark-colored rubber was 918k tons, down 0.3%. Among them, Qingdao spot inventory increased by 0.8%; Yunnan decreased by 2.2%. Currently, the overall domestic tapping conditions are relatively good, with no extreme weather hindering, and large-scale tapping is imminent. Subsequently, new rubber in China will start to increase, and supply is relatively in line with expectations, with upstream pressure gradually rising. In the second quarter, exports of rubber tires to the EU and Middle East are expected to decrease, limiting the increase in rubber tire operating rates. Overall, short-term BR cost support remains strong, but demand support is gradually weakening. Recent geopolitical conflicts are ongoing but have a relatively limited impact on the natural rubber industry chain. However, frequent news events may temporarily affect market sentiment, so caution is advised. The overall fundamentals have not changed significantly, and current rubber futures prices are within a normal range. (Natural Rubber Network)