Rubber down

Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures ended down 3.4 percent, the steepest decline in two weeks, dragged lower by weak Shanghai futures following sluggish Chinese factory activity data. Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) futures, which set the tone for tyre rubber prices in Southeast Asia, also came under pressure from oil prices closing at their lowest in months a day earlier.
The Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for December delivery finished 7.3 yen lower at 208.6 yen per kg. The benchmark contract, which fell to as much as 208.4 yen earlier, the lowest since July 16, posted a weekly decline of 2.9 percent, the sharpest fall in two weeks. The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for January delivery fell 520 yuan to finish at 12,720 yuan per tonne. The front-month rubber contract on Singapore's SICOM exchange for August delivery last traded at 141.8 US cents per kg, down 5.7 cents.