SINGAPORE: Japanese rubber futures surrendered early gains to close flat on Thursday as lower physical prices in top producer Thailand counteracted with a weaker yen.

The November Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract closed flat at 330.5 yen ($2.09) per kg. The September rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) rose 200 yuan to finish at 15,085 yuan ($2,077.77) per metric ton. The most active July butadiene rubber contract on the SHFE rose 35 yuan to finish at 15,170 yuan ($2,089.47) per metric ton. Brent oil futures were little changed in Asia on Thursday, hovering slightly below seven-week highs, as the market weighed geopolitical developments in the Middle East while waiting for US inventory data.