TOKYO, June 19 (Reuters) – Key TOCOM rubber futures weresteady on Thursday, holding near a three-week high after risingfor three out of the previous four sessions, as firm oil pricessupported prices.
FUNDAMENTALS
* The key Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber contract forNovember delivery was trading 0.1 yen lower at205.2 yen as of 0007 GMT.
It had earlier hit a high of 205.5 yen, the same intradaypeak as Wednesday, which was the highest since May 28.
* Against the yen, the greenback dipped to 101.85 from a one-week high of 102.38.
* Singapore-listed rubber firm Halcyon Agri Corp Ltd is in talks to buy rubber processing plants inIndonesia from Lee Rubber for S$400 million to S$500 million($320 million -$400 million), three people familiar with thematter said on Wednesday.
TOCOM Rubber Futures Prices on Thursday, June 19, 2014 (yen/kilogram)
| Month | Last Settlement Price | Open | High | Low | Current | Change | Volume |
| Jun 2014 | 196.7 | 193.8 | 201.0 | 193.8 | 201.0 | +4.3 | 102 |
| Jul 2014 | 199.4 | 198.2 | 202.8 | 197.9 | 201.6 | +2.2 | 86 |
| Aug 2014 | 200.0 | 199.4 | 204.6 | 198.9 | 202.7 | +2.7 | 413 |
| Sep 2014 | 201.6 | 201.5 | 207.2 | 200.6 | 206.0 | +4.4 | 1,203 |
| Oct 2014 | 203.6 | 203.8 | 209.7 | 202.3 | 207.9 | +4.3 | 2,790 |
| Nov 2014 | 205.3 | 205.2 | 211.9 | 204.1 | 210.2 | +4.9 | 11,903 |
| Total | 16,497 | ||||||
MARKET NEWS
* U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 ending ata record after the Federal Reserve hinted at a slightly fasterpace of interest-rate increases starting next year but suggestedrates in the long run would be lower than it had indicatedpreviously.
* The U.S. dollar wallowed at its lowest in nearly two weeksagainst a basket of major currencies early on Thursday, havingbeat a hasty retreat after the Federal Reserve signalled thatinterest rates will stay low for a while yet.
* Brent crude rose to a nine-month high on Wednesday asinvestors worried about exports from Iraq, while U.S. crudedipped after government numbers showed domestic crudeinventories fell much less than an industry group had reported.
* Japan’s Nikkei share average extended gains on Thursday.
DATA EVENTS
* The following data is expected on Thursday: (Time in GMT)
– 1230 U.S. Weekly jobless claims
– 1400 U.S. Leading index May
– 1400 U.S. Philly Fed business index June (Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Ed Davies)
– Reuters
