SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian stocks edged up on Thursday, supported by a fall in coronavirus cases and expectations of more Chinese stimulus to offset the economic impact of the epidemic, while the Japanese yen nursed heavy losses after suffering its steepest drop in six months.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices gained 1% on Wednesday, with Brent rising a seventh straight day, amid broad optimism as new coronavirus cases fell for a second day in China and concerns rose over supply after a U.S. move to cut more Venezuelan crude from the market.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares and U.S. stock futures rose on Wednesday, as investors tried to shake off worries about the coronavirus epidemic after a slight decline in the number of new cases.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Global demand for and output of natural rubber (NR) fell last year versus 2018, according to the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), which said the outbreak of the novel coronavirus has clouded its outlook for at least the first quarter of 2020.

LOCAL rubber glove makers are estimated to chart strong improvement in their financial performance for financial year 2019 (FY19) and FY20, underpinned by higher demand for rubber products and resolved labour issues.

Kochi: India’s tyre industry is worried over the continuing shortage of natural rubber in the market at a time when the automobile sector is showing signs of revival. “Despite Rubber Board data showing higher production this year, the flow of rubber into the market has not been steady,’’ said Ashish Pandey, VP-materials at J K Tyres.