Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures recovered from early losses and ended higher on Friday, helped by higher Nikkei stock prices, but were down for a second straight week amid fears over US-Sino trade spats which may hurt demand in the world's top buyer China. The Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) rubber contract for January delivery finished 0.9 yen, or 0.5 percent, higher at 168.0 yen ($1.5) per kg, but not far from a 22-month low hit earlier this week.
The TOCOM futures, which set the tone for rubber prices in Southeast Asia, lost 1.6 percent for the week.
The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for September delivery fell 10 yuan to finish at 10,285 yuan ($1,508) per tonne as concerns about oversupply persisted.
Rubber inventories in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange rose 0.4 percent from last Friday, the exchange said on Friday.
The front-month rubber contract on Singapore's SICOM exchange for August delivery last traded at 132.5 US cents per kg, down 0.1 cent.
Thailand plans a yearly "supply wipe" of up to 50,000 tonnes of natural rubber output by reducing the country's rubber growing areas, to try to stimulate international prices, the Rubber Authority of Thailand told Reuters on Thursday.
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