Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures ended slightly lower on Tuesday, dragged lower by weak Shanghai futures amid concerns over a surplus of rubber stocks, dealers said. The new benchmark rubber contract on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) for May delivery settled at 260.1 yen ($2.56) per kg, down 0.3 percent from its opening price.
The contract fell to a six-day low of 258.0 yen earlier in the session, weighed down by a slightly stronger yen and weak stock markets. The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for May delivery fell 125 yuan to finish at 18,935 yuan ($3,100) per tonne. The front-month rubber contract on Singapore's SICOM exchange for December delivery last traded at 228.50 US cents per kg, down 1.5 cents.