• Spot rubber was almost steady on Thursday. According to observers, certain tyre companies were buyers of n RSS 4 as sustained and heavy rain continued to dominate the market mood. A leading manufacturer bought the grade even at Rs 175 a kg on early trades but the declines in domestic futures kept the sentiments under pressure during closing hours.
• Sheet rubber closed unchanged at Rs 174 a kg in the main marketing centres. The grade improved to Rs 173.5 (172.5) a kg both at Kottayam and Kochi according to Rubber Board. The trend was partially mixed.
• RSS 4 declined with the October series slipping to Rs 177.2 (178.96), November to Rs 178.75 (180.85), December to Rs 181.7 (183.7) and January to Rs 185 (187) a kg on the National Multi Commodity Exchange. The volumes totalled 4,478 lots, and open interest 4,498 lots. The turnover was Rs 80.77 crore.

India rubber seen extending gains on tyre demand

• India’s rubber prices this week are likely to extend the past two weeks’ gains on healthy demand from tyre-makers, but a likely rise in supplies may cap the upside, dealers and analysts said on Monday.
• The market is also likely to take cues from Wednesday’s  conference of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) in southern Indian city of Kochi.
• Leading industry analysts such as Stephen Evans of International Rubber Study Group and Djoko Said Damardjati, secretary general of ANRPC, will present their views at the meeting.
• “Tyre-makers are actively buying rubber. They are trying to increase (their) production as auto industry is consuming as much tyres they can produce,” said N. Radhakrishnan, a dealer and former president of Cochin Rubber Merchants Association.
• Sales of India’s top automakers remained robust in September, up as much as 30 percent on a year ago and showing no signs of slowing.
• The spot price of the most traded RSS-4 rubber (ribbed smoked sheet) climbed by 200 rupees to 17,100 rupees per 100 kg at the Kottayam market in Kerala, Rubber Board data showed.
• The price has fallen over 8 percent from its record high of 18,600 rupees hit on Aug 5.
• The benchmark October contract  on India’s National Multi-Commodity Exchange (NMCE) provisionally closed 0.6 percent higher at 17,470 rupees per 100 kg on Monday, after hitting a contract high of 17,648 rupees earlier in the day.
• India’s natural rubber output in September rose 4.3 percent on year to 77,500 tonnes, the Rubber Board said in a statement on Friday.

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