Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) futures gained on Tuesday, helped by expectations for tighter supplies as the world's major rubber producers seek ways to trim exports to help shore up prices. TOCOM's rubber contract for May delivery finished 1.1 yen higher at 198.4 yen ($1.83) per kg, booking the highest close since June 24.
The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for May delivery fell 35 yuan to finish at 13,230 yuan ($1,880) per tonne. China's new technically specified rubber (TSR) 20 futures contract was last down 70 yuan at 11,150 yuan per tonne.
The front-month rubber contract on Singapore's SICOM exchange for January delivery last traded at 147.1 US cents per kg, unchanged from the previous day. “A series of moves by producers to help tighten supplies lent support to the recent rally," said Satoru Yoshida, a commodity analyst with Rakuten Securities.
The International Tripartite Rubber Council (ITRC), which includes top producers Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, is considering another export curb to help stabilise rubber prices, the group said last week.
