Rubber falls

Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures fell further on Thursday, weighed down by a decline in Shanghai futures and worries over sluggish global demand for rubber, brokers said. TOCOM has also been hit by profit-taking, after touching a near one-month high of 207 yen on Tuesday. The Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for April delivery finished 1.6 yen lower at 203.1 yen ($1.79) per kg. The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange for January delivery fell 110 yuan to finish at 13,805 yuan ($2,082) per tonne. The contract also touched a five-week high of 14,235 yuan on Monday. The front-month rubber contract on Singapore's SICOM exchange for December delivery last traded at 142.80 US cents per kg, down 1 cent.