Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures recouped early losses to end higher on Wednesday after Shanghai futures regained some ground and a softer yen prompted buying. The Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for new April delivery finished at 179.0 yen ($1.72) per kg, up 1.1 yen, or 0.6 percent, from its opening price of 177.9 yen.
The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for January delivery fell 105 yuan to finish at 14,020 yuan ($2,071.27) per tonne, after tumbling to a low of 13,580 yuan. TOCOM futures, which set the tone for tyre rubber prices in Southeast Asia, hit a five-month high of 184.6 yen early last week. The front-month rubber contract on Singapore's SICOM exchange for November delivery last traded at 146.5 US cents per kg, unchanged from the previous day.