DJ Tocom Rubber Settles Lower as USD/JPY Hits One-Month Low -- Market TalkTocom rubber futures settle 2.1% lower as the U.S. dollar slid against the yen in Asia trade Friday, hitting a one-month low at one point, with the greenback eroded by worsening sentiment due to weak stock markets and downbeat U.S. economic data; Shanghai rubber is also lower. Still, traders say overall sentiment has improved after a steady rise in prices that have sent prices up as much as 11% this month. With Tocom rubber down as much as 30% this year, however, skeptics abound. "I am still a bear," says a Singapore-based fund analyst, who cites data pointing to a supply surplus this year as a key factor to rubber prices remaining weak. Benchmark December rubber settles Y4.6 lower at Y215.0/kg, off the intraday low of Y213.2/kg. (huileng.tan@wsj.com; Twitter: @huileng_tan)
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