Bridgestone Corp., the biggest tire maker, may use 2.6 percent less rubber in the year though December than projected in February as demand in the U.S. will be slower than forecast, said a Nomura Holdings Inc. analyst. Rubber futures and Bridgestone shares fell.
A decline in raw material costs and the yen mean the Tokyo-based company will still book a record profit this year even with weaker demand, Hisahiro Yamaoka at the equity research department said in an interview Thursday.
