It was a rebound year for almost all of the tire manufacturers trading public stocks. Fifteen of the 18 stocks www.modertiredealer.com regularly follows were worth more (in United States dollars) at the end of 2009 than they were on Dec. 31, 2008.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. was the big “winner.” Its stock price increased 225% over the course of the year. Its fellow U.S.-based tire manufacturer, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., was up 136%.
The three companies experiencing decreases in their stock prices were Kumho Tire Co., Titan International Inc. and Yokohama Rubber Co.
* Bridgestone Corp.: up 20.9%, from $14.61 to $17.67;
* Continental AG: up 32.3%, from $39.68 to $52.52;
* Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.: up 225%, from $6.16 to $20.05;
* Federal Tire Corp.: up 165%, from $.32 to $.85;
* Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.: up 136%, from $5.97 to $14.10;
* Groupe Michelin: up 46.8%, from $52.29 to $76.79;
* Hankook Tire Co. Ltd.: up 129%, from $12.12 to $21.87;
* Kenda Rubber Industrial Corp. Ltd.: up 176%, from $.43 to $1.19;
* Kumho Tire Co.: down 12.5%, from $3.55 to $3.09;
* Nankang Rubber Tire Corp. Ltd.: up 204%, from $.42 to $1.28;
* Nexen Tire Corp.: up 5.6%, from $1.60 to $1.69;
* Nokian Tyres plc: up 121%, from $11.01 to $24.36;
* Pirelli & Cie SpA: up 66.6%, from $.36 to $.60;
* Stamford Tyres International Pte Ltd.: up 16.6%, from $.12 to $.14;
* Sumitomo Rubber: up 4.1%, from $8.37 to $8.72;
* Titan International Inc.: down 1.7%, from $8.25 to $8.11;
* Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd.: up 4.5%, from $1.78 to $1.86;
* Yokohama Rubber Co.: down 9%, from $ 4.89 to $4.45.
Exchange rates versus the U.S. dollar on Dec. 31, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2009, were as follows:
1. Euro: .7095 to .6977
2. Taiwanese dollar: 32.8194 to 32.238.
3. Won: 1265.82 to 1165.77.
4. Yen: 90.3843 to 92.2401.
5. Singapore dollar: 1.4426 to 1.4054.
