Rubber Bulls Back as Exporters Cut Most Since 2009: Commodities
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The biggest restrictions on rubber exports since 2009 and record consumption are sending prices back to a bull market after a five-month slump, increasing costs for Bridgestone Corp. and other tiremakers.
Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, accounting for 70 percent of global output, agreed to cut shipments by 300,000 metric tons, starting yesterday. That’s as much as China, the biggest user, imports in about five weeks and exceeds the 2013 supply surplus forecast by the International Rubber Study Group, which represents 35 nations. Tokyo-traded futures, a global benchmark, will advance 9.8 percent to 300 yen a kilogram ($3,841 a ton) by the end of the year, according to the median of 12 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.