The tape split cleanly across chains today: fuel oil rose 3.4 to 4,807 and bitumen added 0.54 to 4,473, both firmer, while natural rubber fell 2.19 to 20,065 and butadiene rubber dropped 1.77 to 15,780 in tandem. Heavy-oil products and rubbers moved in opposite directions on the same session.

Fuel oil's bid comes from crack support — independent refiners lifting run rates pulled in residue demand, while imported blending feedstock arrived slower than the laycan. Bitumen is the classic "demand reads infrastructure, cost reads crude" product; its tame gain says terminal paving has not fully ramped yet.

On the rubber side, natural rubber softened as tire makers slowed their restocking, and butadiene rubber was dragged by butadiene margin give-back. For our thirteen-category ledger, a split like this means one macro narrative cannot explain every line; chemicals and rubbers need two separate pricing stories.