Rubber rises

Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures pared gains on profit-taking by close on Friday, after hitting a 3-1/2 year high earlier as the Japanese currency yen fell to its lowest since February. The Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for May delivery finished 1.2 yen higher at 283.4 yen per kg. The benchmark contract on Friday hit 291.7 yen, the highest since May 22, 2013. For the week, it jumped 15.5 percent, the sharpest gain in five weeks.
The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for May delivery fell 355 yuan to finish at 19,700 yuan ($2,835) per tonne. The contract on Wednesday touched a high of 20,580 yuan, the highest since January 24, 2014.