Rubber slides

Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures slid on Monday, dragged down by slumping Tokyo share prices and a stronger yen after suspected Islamist militants launched co-ordinated attacks across Paris that killed more than 130 people late last week. The Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) rubber contract for April delivery finished 3.7 yen lower at 156.1 yen ($1.27) per kg. The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for January delivery tumbled 310 yuan to finish at 10,520 yuan ($1,651.49) per tonne.
The front-month rubber contract on Singapore's SICOM exchange for December delivery last traded at 117.1 US cents per kg, down 2.8 cent. "The market took a beating by falling Nikkei stock index and a yen's rise in the wake of the Paris attack," said Hiroyuki Kikukawa, general manager at Nihon Unicom Inc. "It raised worries among investors over slowing global economy and weaker demand for commodities," he said.