TOKYO, May 17 (Reuters) – Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures fell on Friday, extending falls into a fourth session, hurt by a pullback in U.S. equities after a Federal Reserve official said the central bank could begin easing up on its monetary stimulus this summer.
FUNDAMENTALS
* The key Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) rubber contract for October delivery was trading 1.4 percent lower at 278.3 yen per kg as of 0028 GMT.
* On Thursday, the October contract fell as low 276.3 yen, a one-week low and down 7.6 percent from a two-month high of 299 yen marked on Monday.
* The TOCOM market is on course to fall about 5 percent this week. Friday is the last trading for the nearby May contract.
TOCOM Rubber Futures Prices on Friday, May 17, 2013 (yen/kilogram)
|
Month |
Last Settlement Price |
Open |
High |
Low |
Current |
Change |
Volume |
|
May 2013 |
270.1 |
268.6 |
268.6 |
268.6 |
268.6 |
-1.5 |
1 |
|
Jun 2013 |
273.1 |
271.0 |
271.0 |
270.2 |
270.2 |
-2.9 |
5 |
|
Jul 2013 |
275.0 |
271.3 |
273.4 |
271.3 |
273.4 |
-1.6 |
6 |
|
Aug 2013 |
277.2 |
275.0 |
276.5 |
274.0 |
275.9 |
-1.3 |
57 |
|
Sep 2013 |
280.2 |
277.7 |
279.4 |
275.4 |
278.8 |
-1.4 |
206 |
|
Oct 2013 |
282.3 |
282.8 |
282.8 |
277.3 |
280.8 |
-1.5 |
2,545 |
|
Total |
|
2,820 |
|||||
MARKET NEWS
* Japan’s Nikkei share average fell for a second day on Friday as caution over the recent steep rises continued to spur profit-taking.
* The U.S. dollar traded at around 102.25 yen, hovering below a peak of 102.76 yen marked on Wednesday, its strongest since late 2008, according to Reuters data.
* U.S. crude futures slipped towards $95 a barrel in early Asian trade on Friday as data from the world’s biggest oil consumer the United States showing fresh signs of slower growth in the second quarter revived worries over demand.
DATA EVENTS
* The following data is expected on Friday: (Time in GMT)
– 1355 U.S. TR/U Michigan sentiment index
– 1400 U.S. Leading indicators
(Reporting by Risa Maeda; Editing by Ed Davies)
Source: Reuters
