* Japanese rubber futures fell marginally on Thursday after
rising
for the last two sessions, as concerns of a possible U.S.
recession weighed.
* Osaka Exchange's rubber contract for September delivery finished 0.3 yen, or 0.2%, lower at 206.5 yen ($1.55)
per kg.
* The rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for
September delivery fell 40 yuan to finish at 11,680 yuan
($1,699.40) per tonne.
* Japan's benchmark Nikkei average closed up 0.26%.
* On Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund trimmed its
2023
global growth outlook slightly as higher interest rates cool
activity but warned that a severe flare-up of financial system
turmoil could slash output to near recessionary levels.
* Minutes from the Federal Reserve's policy meeting
last
month showed officials forecasting that the banking sector
stress would tip the economy into recession.
* Despite broad warnings about the economic risks, global
monetary
policymakers are keeping their focus squarely on inflation and
the need to continue raising interest rates to tame it.
* "It seems the U.S. recession will start to be a topic of
concern, which can only lead to slower overall GDP numbers
worldwide in the next 6 months," said a Singapore-based trader.
"Likely rubber demand from the U.S. will start to slow down."
* China's exports unexpectedly surged in March, with
officials
flagging rising demand for electric vehicles, but analysts
cautioned the improvement partly reflects suppliers catching up
with unfulfilled orders after last year's COVID-19 disruptions.
* Asian stocks struggled on Thursday, dragged down by tech
and
property selling in Hong Kong, while the dollar was under
pressure as softening U.S. inflation seemed to suggest the
Federal Reserve's rate hike cycle was nearing its end.
* The front-month rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's
SICOM
platform for May delivery last traded at 134.3 U.S.
cents per kg, up 0.1%.
($1 = 133.3300 yen)
($1 = 6.8730 yuan)
(Reporting by Carman Chew; editing by Uttaresh Venkateshwaran)
For other physical rubber prices in Thailand, click on . For more details on Indonesian and Malaysian prices click on and .
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