* Japanese rubber futures fell on Friday, set for their
first
weekly drop in three, as traders assessed a slowing growth rate
in China, U.S. rate-hike fears and a firmer yen.
* The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for August
delivery was down 3 yen, or 1.4%, at 218.6 yen ($1.61)
per kg, as of 0221 GMT.
* For the week, the benchmark OSE contract slumped about
4.7%.
* The rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange
(SHFE) for
May delivery was down 225 yuan, or 1.84%, at 12,025 yuan
($1,726.66) per tonne.
* Japan's benchmark Nikkei share average opened
0.83%
lower.
* China's annual consumer inflation slowed to the lowest
rate in a
year in February as consumers remained cautious despite the
easing of stringent pandemic restrictions late last year.
* Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has warned of higher
and
potentially faster rate hikes, saying the U.S. central bank was
wrong in initially thinking inflation was "transitory" and was
surprised by the strength of the labour market.
* Pulling down traders' sentiment, Japan's economy grew a
tad
slower than initially estimated in the fourth quarter, revised
government data showed on Thursday.
* The Japanese yen strengthened 0.13% to 135.95 per
dollar,
as of 0224 GMT.
* A stronger currency makes yen-denominated assets less
affordable
when purchased in other currencies.
* Falling bank stocks drove Asian markets lower on Friday,
while
bonds rallied and expectations for U.S. interest rate hikes were
reduced after a surprise capital raising at a Silicon Valley
startup lender unleashed fears of broader banking-system stress.
* The front-month rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's
SICOM
platform for April delivery last traded at 132.6 U.S.
cents per kg, down 1.5%.
($1 = 135.9200 yen)
($1 = 6.9643 yuan)
(Reporting by Carman Chew; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
SINGAPORE, March 10 (Reuters) -
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