Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures dropped on Friday as investors took profits following a fall in Shanghai futures and ahead of the weekend, but it marked a third straight weekly gain, backed by firmer demand in China, the world's biggest rubber buyer. The Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) rubber contract for January delivery finished 1.0 yen lower at 216.2 yen ($1.98) per kg, sliding from a near 3-month high of 220.3 yen touched the previous day.
For the week, it managed to post a 1 percent gain. The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for January delivery fell 20 yuan to finish at 16,580 yuan ($2,485) per tonne, after touching a low of 16,110 yuan earlier in the session. The front-month rubber contract on Singapore's SICOM exchange for September delivery last traded at 155.1 US cents per kg, up 1.2 cent.