December 2018 cable raw materials (rubber) monthly report

1.
Macroeconomic news

1.
Due to growing concerns about the economic slowdown, the US Chamber of Commerce Consumer Confidence Index hit a new low since July in December, departing from the previous upward trend, and the recent decline in the stock market hit market sentiment
hard.
Investors are already worried about the prospect of the global slowdown spreading to the United States, and given that the US economy itself is highly consumer-driven, if the consumer confidence index continues to decline, it will later be transmitted to the real economy and affect the sales performance of enterprises, which will eventually further drive the stock market down
.
However, despite weakening consumer expectations for job prospects and business conditions, the U.
S.
economy will continue to expand
at a steady pace in the near term.

2.
Germany's December CPI was 0.
1% month-on-month, 0.
3% expected, and 0.
1%
in the previous month.
German December CPI preliminary 1.
7% year-on-year vs 1.
9% expected and 2.
3%
prior.
Germany's December Harmonized CPI was 0.
3% m/m vs.
0.
4% expected and 0.
1%
prior.
German December Harmonized CPI YoY 1.
7% Preliminary vs.
1.
9% Expected vs.
2.
2%
Prior.

3
.
China's manufacturing PMI was 49.
7, down 0.
5 percentage points from the previous month, falling into the contraction zone for the first time since June 2017.
Caixin think tank Monita said that in December 2018, domestic demand in the manufacturing industry declined, external demand was still suppressed, enterprises' willingness to destock increased, industrial product prices tended to decline, manufacturing production may be further dragged down, and the downward pressure on the economy showed signs
of further increase.

Second, the analysis of natural rubber market trends