SunSirs: Plastics and Rubber Industries Bulk Commodity Intelligence (January 28, 2026)

Macroeconomics

1. [Federal Reserve] Regarding the first Federal Reserve interest rate decision of 2026, scheduled to be released Wednesday afternoon US time (Thursday morning Beijing time), Nick Timiraos, known as the "Fed's mouthpiece," wrote on Tuesday that Fed officials are not expected to cut interest rates, and the more difficult question is under what circumstances the Fed will resume cutting rates.

2. [US Consumer Confidence Index] The US consumer confidence index for January fell significantly from a revised 94.2 in December to 84.5, the lowest level since May 2014.

3. [India-EU Trade Agreement] India and the European Union have reached a trade agreement. Under the India-EU agreement, tariffs on more than 90% of EU export goods will be eliminated or reduced. Car tariffs will be gradually reduced to 10%, with an annual quota of 250,000 vehicles, six times the previous UK agreement. Tariffs of up to 44% on machinery, 22% on chemicals, and 11% on pharmaceuticals will be largely eliminated.

4. [Automotive] According to the latest data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), EU passenger car sales increased by 5.8% year-on-year to 963,319 units in December 2025. In 2025, EU passenger car sales increased slightly by 0.8% to approximately 10.6 million units.

Plastics and Rubber

1. [PA66] Recently, Liaoyang Petrochemical's 100,000 tons/year nylon 66 plant successfully started operation and produced qualified products.

2. [Natural Rubber] On January 27, the natural rubber raw material market in Thailand saw price increases: smoked sheet was quoted at 61.80 Thai baht/kg, up 0.30 Thai baht/kg; latex was quoted at 57.90 Thai baht/kg, up 0.20 Thai baht/kg; and cup lump was quoted at 53.60 Thai baht/kg, up 0.10 Thai baht/kg.

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