SunSirs: Plastics and Rubber Industries Bulk Commodity Intelligence (April 3, 2026)
Macroeconomics
1. [U.S. Tariffs] The U.S. White House has issued two consecutive policy statements announcing the implementation of new tariff policies targeting key industrial and pharmaceutical sectors. Regarding metal tariffs, the Trump administration is maintaining a 50% tariff on various imported steel, aluminum, and copper products, while simultaneously simplifying tariff regulations for goods with lower metal content by imposing a uniform 25% tariff on manufactured goods and derivative products. Regarding pharmaceutical tariffs, the U.S. will impose a 100% tariff on imported medicines that "possess a brand or patent"; however, countries, regions, and pharmaceutical companies that have reached agreements with the Trump administration may be granted exemptions from these tariffs.
2. [U.S. Initial Jobless Claims] In the past week, the number of initial jobless claims in the U.S. fell by 9,000 to 202,000—falling below market expectations of 212,000 and marking a new low for nearly two years. In the preceding week, the number of continuing jobless claims rose to 1.84 million.
3. [U.S. Trade Deficit] Data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce indicates that the trade deficit in goods and services expanded by 4.9% month-over-month in February, reaching $57.3 billion; however, this figure fell below economists' forecasts of $61 billion. Specifically, exports grew by 4.2%, while imports grew by 4.3%. During the same month, the U.S. trade deficit in goods with China widened to $13.1 billion.
4. [Shipping] Iran is currently drafting an agreement with Oman aimed at monitoring maritime traffic within the Strait of Hormuz, with the objective of facilitating and ensuring navigational safety. Concurrently, Iran is exploring the possibility of levying transit fees on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that vessels belonging to non-aggressive parties may traverse the Strait of Hormuz following proper coordination.
Plastics and Rubber
1. [HDPE] During the current cycle (March 27 – April 2), the production volume lost due to maintenance shutdowns at PE facilities amounted to approximately 174,900 tons—a sequential increase of 47,000 tons.
2. [SBR] Zhejiang Weitai Rubber Co., Ltd.’s 100,000-ton/year Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) facility underwent a scheduled maintenance shutdown starting February 27, 2026, and resumed feedstock feeding and operations on April 3, 2026.
3. [BR] On April 2, PetroChina Northeast Marketing Company raised its prices for Butadiene Rubber (BR) by 500 RMB/ton. Currently, the ex-works price for BR from the Daqing and Jinzhou plants stands at 19,500 RMB/ton (Northeast warehouse pickup price)
4. [Natural Rubber] On April 2, market prices for natural rubber raw materials in Thailand's production regions trended upward: Smoked Sheets were quoted at 81.00 THB/kg (up 0.50 THB/kg); Field Latex was quoted at 81.00 THB/kg (up 0.50 THB/kg); and Cup Lump was quoted at 63.90 THB/kg (up 0.20 THB/kg).
5. [Natural Rubber] According to the latest data, Indonesia's exports of natural rubber (excluding compound rubber) totaled 210,000 tons during the first two months of 2026—a year-on-year decrease of 26%. Specifically, exports of Technically Specified Rubber (TSR) amounted to 205,000 tons (down 27% year-on-year); exports of Smoked Sheets totaled 5,000 tons (down 17% year-on-year); and there were no exports of Latex.
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