TOKYO, Nov 12 (Reuters) – Tokyo rubber futures ended mostly lower on Wednesday, reflecting weak crude oil prices, although they recouped some of their early losses with the key contract edging above 180 yen.
* Physical rubber prices were mostly steady, however, drawing strength from supply tightness due to rain in major producing countries such as Thailand, the world’s largest.
* Traders said the rainy season was likely to run its usual course until late November.
* “(We) expect the rain to be over by December … then I think we will see supplies pick up,” a trader in Thailand said.
* The key Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for April delivery <0#JRU:> finished at 181.4 yen a kg, down 0.4 yen or 0.2 percent, after hitting an intraday low of 173.8 yen.
* Funds have fled from TOCOM rubber as the deterioration in the global economy has hit demand for vehicles, which is likely to mean less consumption of the industrial commodity mainly used to produce tyres.
* Barring strong positive news for the economy, traders say TOCOM rubber will likely trade between 160 yen and 200 yen, the band that it has largely been locked in since mid-October.
* U.S. crude futures continued to slide after falling 5 percent on Tuesday as the deepening global economic crisis raised expectations of further slowdowns in energy demand. They were trading at $58.79 a barrel versus the settlement of $59.33. [O/R]

PRICES OF ASIAN PHYSICAL RUBBER COMPARED WITH TUESDAY
Grade Price Change
Thai RSS3 (Dec) $1.90/kg unchanged
Thai RSS3 (Jan) $1.90/kg unchanged
Thai STR20 (Dec) $1.85/kg unchanged
Thai STR20 (Jan) $1.85/kg unchanged
Malaysia SMR20 (Dec) $1.85/kg unchanged
Malaysia SMR20 (Jan) $1.85/kg unchanged
Indonesia SIR20 (Dec) $0.82/lb -$0.02
Indonesia SIR20 (Jan) $0.82/lb -$0.02
Thai USS3 59 baht/kg – 1 baht
Thai 60-percent latex (drums, Dec) $1,500/tonne unchanged
Thai 60-percent latex (bulk, Dec) $1,350/tonne unchanged

Source:  Reuters

TOKYO, Nov 11 (Reuters) – Key Tokyo rubber futures dropped nearly 6 percent on Tuesday, pressured by sinking crude oil prices, but they recouped some of their losses to finish above 180 yen.
* The Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for April delivery <0#JRU:> fell to an intraday low of 179.3 yen per kg, down 11.1 yen or 5.8 percent. It closed at 181.8 yen.
* Traders expect TOCOM rubber to trade around 160-200 yen, the range it has been trapped between since mid-October, for the time being.
* “It’s a question of whether investors, led by funds, can feel comfortable and want to return to the market,” a Tokyo trader said.
* A crucial point will be whether TOCOM rubber can manage to remain above 153.4 yen marked in late October, which was the lowest level since July 2005, he said.
* If it manages to stay above that level, hopes for a rally will increase, he said.
* U.S. crude oil futures fell over $2 to sink close to $60 a barrel as a firmer dollar and renewed gloom over the global economy wiped away the brief euphoria that greeted Beijing’s stimulus package.
* Singapore-listed rubber planter and processor GMG Global will double natural rubber production at its Hevecam plantation in southern Cameroon, the company said on Monday. [ID:nLA447922]
* Chinese state oil trader Sinochem bought a 51 percent stake in GMG earlier this year, and the rubber firm wants to boost output to meet what it expects will be strong demand from China.
* Buying of physical rubber by China, the world’s top buyer of the industrial commodity used for tyres, has slowed recently, traders said.
* China’s near $600 billion economic stimulus plan announced Sunday was seen as positive news for the rubber market, but physical traders said more time was needed to gauge the extent of its impact.

PRICES OF ASIAN PHYSICAL RUBBER COMPARED WITH MONDAY
Grade Price Change
Thai RSS3 (Dec) $1.90/kg +$0.05
Thai RSS3 (Jan) $1.90/kg +$0.05
Thai STR20 (Dec) $1.85/kg unchanged
Thai STR20 (Jan) $1.85/kg unchanged
Malaysia SMR20 (Dec) $1.85/kg unchanged
Malaysia SMR20 (Jan) $1.85/kg unchanged
Indonesia SIR20 (Dec) $0.84/lb +$0.02
Indonesia SIR20 (Jan) $0.84/lb +$0.02
Thai USS3 60 baht/kg + 1 baht
Thai 60-percent latex (drums, Dec) $1,500/tonne unchanged
Thai 60-percent latex (bulk, Dec) $1,350/tonne unchanged

Source:  Reuters

TOKYO, Nov 10 (Reuters) – Key Tokyo rubber futures rose 5 percent on Monday before drifting lower to end slightly above 190 yen, on gains in oil which drew strength from hopes that plans to lift economic growth would stimulate energy demand.
* The key Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract for April delivery <0#JRU:> finished at 190.4 yen per kg, after rising to an intra-day high of 193.2 yen, up 9.3 yen or about 5 percent, with an additional boost provided by a weaker yen.
* The key contract has recovered more than 20 percent since falling in late October to 153.4 yen, the lowest level since July 2005.
* Physical rubber traders said news that China, a top rubber consumer, had approved a 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) government spending package to boost domestic demand was positive news for the industrial commodity.
* They said, however, that buying from China has been slow since the global credit crisis, and that more time will be needed to gauge how the economic package will help stimulate consumption of the industrial commodity, used largely for tyres.
* “It’s positive for the market … but it will take time to figure out the actual impact,” a rubber trader in Thailand said.
* Near-term, the benchmark TOCOM rubber price is likely to continue to move between 160-200 yen, the range that it has fluctuated since mid-October, a Tokyo broker said.
* “There will have to be some very bright news, particularly about the real economy, for the market to move and stay above 200 yen,” he said.
* He noted that TOCOM rubber was unable to stay above 200 yen when it rose above that level last week.
* U.S. crude futures rose more than $3 to top $64 a barrel on hopes that proposals from the world’s leading economies to boost growth would help ward off a global recession and revive energy demand.
* The dollar rose to 99.14 yen , up 0.9 percent from late U.S. trading on Friday.
* Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> more than halved its profit forecast last week, saying annual net earnings will plunge as the financial crisis batters demand for its cars, in news that added to the rubber market’s woes.

PRICES OF ASIAN PHYSICAL RUBBER COMPARED WITH FRIDAY
Grade Price Change
Thai RSS3 (Dec) $1.85/kg +$0.05
Thai RSS3 (Jan) $1.85/kg +$0.05
Thai STR20 (Dec) $1.85/kg +$0.07
Thai STR20 (Jan) $1.85/kg +$0.07
Malaysia SMR20 (Dec) $1.85/kg +$0.05
Malaysia SMR20 (Jan) $1.85/kg +$0.05
Indonesia SIR20 (Dec) $0.82/lb +$0.02
Indonesia SIR20 (Jan) $0.82/lb +$0.02
Thai USS3 59 baht/kg + 1 baht
Thai 60-percent latex (drums, Dec) $1,500/tonne +$100
Thai 60-percent latex (bulk, Dec) $1,350/tonne -$50

Source:  Reuters

BANGKOK, Nov 7 (Reuters) – Tokyo rubber futures ended 2.8
percent higher on Friday, bouncing back from early losses due to
speculative buying, fuelled by a recovery in oil prices.
* The benchmark April 2009 contract on the Tokyo Commodity
Exchange <0#JRU:> rose 5.0 yen, or 2.8 percent, to settle at
183.9 yen ($1.89) per kg.
* Oil rebounded from a 20-month low to hover above $61 a
barrel on Friday, although the gloomy economic outlook is likely
to weigh on near-term energy demand.
* Rubber prices often move in line with oil as both markets
are sensitive to demand from automobile users.
* Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> more than halved its profit
forecast, saying annual net earnings would plunge to a nine-year
low as the financial crisis batters demand for its cars, cuts
access to credit and sends the yen higher. [ID:nT27754]
* Trade in the Tokyo rubber market remained volatile, with
investor sentiment at the mercy of wild swings in other financial
markets.
* Japan’s benchmark Nikkei share average <.N225> fell 3.5
percent on Friday, adding to the pressure on TOCOM futures.[.T]
* On the physical front, rubber prices were lower after early
falls on TOCOM and trade remained thin.

PRICES OF ASIAN PHYSICAL RUBBER COMPARED WITH THURSDAY
Grade Price Change
Thai RSS3 (Dec) $1.80/kg -$0.15
Thai RSS3 (Jan) $1.80/kg -$0.15
Thai STR20 (Dec) $1.78/kg -$0.12
Thai STR20 (Jan) $1.78/kg -$0.12
Malaysia SMR20 (Dec) $1.80/kg -$0.05
Malaysia SMR20 (Jan) $1.80/kg -$0.05
Indonesia SIR20 (Dec) $0.80/lb -$0.04
Indonesia SIR20 (Jan) $0.80/lb -$0.04
Thai USS3 58 baht/kg – 2 baht
Thai 60-percent latex (drums, Dec) $1,400/tonne -$100
Thai 60-percent latex (bulk, Dec) $1,400/tonne -$100
($1=35.02 baht)
($1=97.65 Yen)

Source:  Reuters

BANGKOK, Nov 6 (Reuters) – Tokyo rubber futures settled lower
on Thursday on stop-loss selling as players liquidated positions
after seeing falls in oil prices.
* The benchmark rubber contract on the Tokyo Commodity
Exchange <0#JRU:> for April delivery fell 2.5 yen, or 1.3
percent, to settle at 178.9 yen ($1.81) per kg.
It fell to an intra-day low at 170.5 yen per kg, the lowest
since Oct 29.
* On Wednesday the contract rose as high as 208.8 yen, the
highest for any benchmark since Oct. 9, before selling in late
Tokyo trade following a reversal in oil prices.
* Oil fell below $65 a barrel on Thursday, extending a 7
percent overnight drop, weighed down by a strengthening dollar
and as dismal economic data in the United States sharpened fears
of a deep and lasting global recession.
* Rubber prices often move in line with oil prices as both
markets are sensitive to demand from automobile users.
* The market took a hit last week as investors fled riskier
assets including commodities due to concern about the credit
crunch, sending rubber as low as 153.4 yen, the lowest level
since July 2005.
* On the physical front, prices dropped in line with TOCOM,
but trading was busier, with tyre makers buying rubber from
Indonesian producers, traders said.

PRICES OF ASIAN PHYSICAL RUBBER COMPARED WITH WEDNESDAY
Grade Price Change
Thai RSS3 (Dec) $1.95/kg -$0.05
Thai RSS3 (Jan) $1.95/kg -$0.05
Thai STR20 (Dec) $1.90/kg -$0.05
Thai STR20 (Jan) $1.90/kg -$0.05
Malaysia SMR20 (Dec) $1.85/kg -$0.10
Malaysia SMR20 (Jan) $1.85/kg -$0.10
Indonesia SIR20 (Dec) $0.84/lb -$0.03
Indonesia SIR20 (Jan) $0.84/lb -$0.03
Thai USS3 60 baht/kg – 1 baht
Thai 60-percent latex (drums, Dec) $1,500/tonne -$50
Thai 60-percent latex (bulk, Dec) $1,400/tonne -$50
($1=35.03 baht)
($1=98.86 Yen)

Source:  Reuters