Report Industry Investment Rating - The investment rating for RU and NR is neutral, and the rating for BR is also neutral [7] Core Viewpoints - The domestic supply of natural rubber is on a rising trend, but the current demand remains strong, resulting in firm domestic spot prices and a strong basis pattern. The raw material prices in domestic production areas are decreasing, while in Thailand, the cup rubber price remains firm due to rainfall disturbances, providing strong support for the cost of rubber. The downstream operating rate has rebounded, and exports show resilience, with rigid demand support remaining. The valuations of domestic RU and NR are currently low, and the implementation of the European EUDR policy is expected to boost overseas raw material procurement demand, potentially leading to a rebound in rubber prices [7] - In late October, there will be an increase in maintenance of domestic upstream butadiene rubber plants, and the decline in supply may support the price of butadiene rubber. The operating rate of downstream tire factories has rebounded, and exports show resilience, with rigid demand support remaining. The supply - demand situation may improve, and the price of upstream butadiene raw materials is expected to remain stable. The surrounding natural rubber prices also provide bottom - end support for butadiene rubber. However, the current high inventory of butadiene rubber may limit the upside space [7] Summary by Directory Market News and Data - Futures: The closing price of the RU main contract was 15,150 yuan/ton, unchanged from the previous day; the NR main contract was 12,350 yuan/ton, down 15 yuan/ton from the previous day; the BR main contract was 11,050 yuan/ton, up 10 yuan/ton from the previous day [1] - Spot: The price of Yunnan - produced whole latex in the Shanghai market was 14,450 yuan/ton, up 50 yuan/ton from the previous day. The price of Thai mixed rubber in the Qingdao Free Trade Zone was 14,800 yuan/ton, down 50 yuan/ton from the previous day. The price of Thai 20 - grade standard rubber in the Qingdao Free Trade Zone was 1,860 US dollars/ton, unchanged from the previous day. The price of Indonesian 20 - grade standard rubber in the Qingdao Free Trade Zone was 1,750 US dollars/ton, unchanged from the previous day. The ex - factory price of BR9000 from Sinopec Qilu Petrochemical was 11,200 yuan/ton, unchanged from the previous day. The market price of BR9000 in Zhejiang Transfar was 10,950 yuan/ton, unchanged from the previous day [1] Market Information - In September 2025, China's heavy - truck market sales were approximately 105,000 units (wholesale basis, including exports and new energy), a year - on - year increase of about 82% and a month - on - month increase of 15%, reaching a new high for the same period in recent years [2] - In September 2025, China's natural rubber (including technically specified rubber, latex, smoked sheets, primary forms, mixed rubber, and compound rubber) imports were 595,900 tons, a month - on - month increase of 14.41% and a year - on - year increase of 20.92%. From January to September 2025, the cumulative import volume was 4.7172 million tons, a cumulative year - on - year increase of 19.65% [2] - In September 2025, China's automobile production and sales were 3.276 million and 3.226 million units respectively, a month - on - month increase of 16.4% and 12.9% and a year - on - year increase of 17.1% and 14.9% respectively. For the first time in the same period in history, automobile production and sales exceeded 3 million units, and the monthly year - on - year growth rate has remained above 10% for five consecutive months [3] - In the first three quarters of 2025, China's rubber tire exports reached 7.28 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 5%; the export value was 127.7 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 4.2%. Among them, the exports of new pneumatic rubber tires reached 7.02 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 4.7%; the export value was 122.7 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 4%. In terms of the number of pieces, the export volume was 534.91 million pieces, a year - on - year increase of 5.4%. The exports of automobile tires in the first three quarters were 6.22 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 4.5%; the export value was 105.5 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 3.6% [3] Market Analysis Natural Rubber - Spot and spreads: On October 22, 2025, the RU basis was - 700 yuan/ton (+50), the spread between the RU main contract and mixed rubber was 350 yuan/ton (+50), the import profit of smoked sheet rubber was - 2,915 yuan/ton (- 2,915.00), the NR basis was 847.00 yuan/ton (+19.00); the price of whole latex was 14,450 yuan/ton (+50), the price of mixed rubber was 14,800 yuan/ton (- 50), the price of 3L spot was 15,100 yuan/ton (+0). The STR20 was quoted at 1,860 US dollars/ton (+0), the spread between whole latex and 3L was - 650 yuan/ton (+100); the spread between mixed rubber and styrene - butadiene rubber was 3,400 yuan/ton (- 50) [4] - Raw materials: The price of Thai smoked sheets was 57.87 Thai baht/kg (- 0.06), the price of Thai glue was 54.50 Thai baht/kg (+0.40), the price of Thai cup lump was 51.30 Thai baht/kg (+0.60), and the spread between Thai glue and cup lump was 3.20 Thai baht/kg (- 0.20) [4] - Operating rate: The operating rate of all - steel tires was 63.96% (+22.43%), and the operating rate of semi - steel tires was 71.07% (+28.92%) [5] - Inventory: The social inventory of natural rubber was 1,112,557 tons (- 122,953.00), the inventory of natural rubber at Qingdao Port was 461,188 tons (- 125,451), the RU futures inventory was 135,000 tons (- 9,390), and the NR futures inventory was 40,119 tons (- 1,210) [5] Butadiene Rubber - Spot and spreads: On October 22, 2025, the BR basis was - 150 yuan/ton (- 10), the ex - factory price of butadiene from Sinopec was 8,600 yuan/ton (+0), the price of BR9000 from Qilu Petrochemical was 11,200 yuan/ton (+0), the price of BR9000 in Zhejiang Transfar was 10,950 yuan/ton (+0), the price of private butadiene rubber in Shandong was 10,750 yuan/ton (+0), and the import profit of butadiene rubber in Northeast Asia was - 1,912 yuan/ton (- 2) [6] - Operating rate: The operating rate of high - cis butadiene rubber was 74.82% (+0.13%) [6] - Inventory: The inventory of butadiene rubber traders was 4,520 tons (- 340), and the inventory of butadiene rubber enterprises was 28,650 tons (+750) [6] Strategy - For RU and NR, maintain a neutral stance. The recently announced domestic import data for September continued to increase, slightly exceeding market expectations. The domestic supply is on an upward trend, but the current demand is still good, so the domestic spot prices remain firm, and the basis is strong. The rainfall in domestic production areas has significantly decreased, and with the recovery of raw materials, the domestic raw material prices are continuously decreasing. There will still be rainfall disturbances in Thailand, especially in the northern region. The cup lump price is firm, and the cost - end support for rubber remains strong. The downstream operating rate has rebounded recently, and exports show resilience, with rigid demand support remaining. Currently, the valuations of domestic RU and NR are low. The implementation of the European EUDR policy is expected to boost overseas raw material procurement demand, and rubber prices may have some rebound momentum [7] - For BR, maintain a neutral stance. In late October, there will be an increase in maintenance of domestic upstream butadiene rubber plants, and the decline in supply may support the price of butadiene rubber. The operating rate of downstream tire factories has rebounded, and exports show resilience, with rigid demand support remaining. The supply - demand situation may improve, and the price of upstream butadiene raw materials is expected to remain stable. The surrounding natural rubber prices also provide bottom - end support for butadiene rubber. It is expected that the price of butadiene rubber this week will be more likely to rise than fall. However, the current high inventory of butadiene rubber may limit the upside space [7]
化工日报：天然橡胶社会库存继续下降-20251023
Hua Tai Qi Huo·2025-10-23 02:27