Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures fell for a third session on Monday, ending down 1.1 percent amid lack of buying interests due to a stronger yen and steep falls in oil prices and Japanese equities, industry sources said. Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) futures, which set the tone for tyre rubber prices in Southeast Asia, have also been pressured by ample rubber inventories in Shanghai and worries over demand from top consumer China.
The Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for May delivery finished 1.8 yen lower at 166.2 yen ($1.37) per kg, after hitting a low of 165.1 yen, the lowest since December 2, earlier in the session. The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange for May delivery rose 170 yuan to finish at 10,230 yuan per tonne. The front-month rubber contract on Singapore's SICOM exchange for January delivery last traded at 116 US cents per kg, down 0.8 cent.