Japan rubber futures fall

TOKYO: Japanese rubber futures fell more than 3% on Monday after a poll of major Japanese manufacturers and other companies showed they had a gloomy outlook for their businesses amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Osaka Exchange's rubber contract for April delivery finished the day 6.9 yen, or 3.1%, lower at 215.4 yen ($2.08) per kg.

A poll by Reuters of 485 large and middle-sized companies in Japan showed they were concerned about the lingering impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and negative responses outweighed positive ones, though they were less pessimistic than earlier. The rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for January delivery fell 5.1% to finish at 14,240 yuan per tonne.