* Japanese rubber futures edged up on Tuesday, extending
gains for
a third consecutive session, buoyed by strength in the Shanghai
market, while a weaker yen added support.
* Osaka Exchange's (OSE) rubber contract for July delivery finished 2.3 yen, or 1.0%, higher at 225.0 yen ($1.67)
per kg.
* The OSE will be closed on Thursday for a public holiday in
Japan.
* The rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange
(SHFE) for
May delivery rose 100 yuan to finish at 12,580 yuan
($1,831) per tonne.
* Japan's benchmark Nikkei share average ended down
0.21%.
* "Based on SHFE prices hitting a months-long low last
session,
there is likely to be some degree of increased buying on
bargain-hunting, dragging OSE prices up as well," said a
Singapore-based trader.
* The Japanese yen fell 0.2% against the dollar to
134.55.
* A weaker yen makes yen-denominated assets more affordable
when
purchased in other currencies.
* Japan's manufacturing activity contracted at the fastest
pace in
30 months in February, a business survey showed on Tuesday, in a
worrying sign for the world's third-largest economy that is
facing weakening demand and struggling to tame cost pressures.
* Investors await the minutes from the Federal Reserve's
most
recent meeting to gauge the path forward for further potential
interest rate hikes. Minutes are slated to be released on
Wednesday.
* Asian stocks slid on Tuesday as the prospect of the U.S.
central
bank sticking with its hawkish policy weighed on sentiment, with
investors looking to the minutes of the latest Federal Reserve
meeting for further monetary policy clues.
* The front-month rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's
SICOM
platform for March delivery last traded at 139.8 U.S.
cents per kg, up 0.4%.
($1 = 134.5500 yen)
($1 = 6.8694 yuan)
(Reporting by Matthew Chye
Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)
For other physical rubber prices in Thailand, click on . For more details on Indonesian and Malaysian prices click on and .
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