RUBBER-Japan futures end lower as trade jitters offset soft supply outlook

SINGAPORE, March 13 (Reuters) -

• Japanese rubber futures retreated from early gains on Thursday as concerns over a trade conflict weighed on market sentiment, outweighing support from a tight supply outlook.

• The Osaka Exchange (OSE) August rubber contract JRUc6, 0#2JRU: closed down 6 yen, or 1.75%, at 337.2 yen ($2.28)per kg.

• The May rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) SNRv1 edged 115 yuan lower, or 0.67%, to 17,075 yuan ($2,358.59) per metric ton.

• The most active April butadiene rubber contract on the SHFE SHBRv1 eased 40 yuan, or 0.29%, to 13,720 yuan ($1,895.16) per metric ton.

• The U.S. tariff policy caused investors to worry about the outlook for global demand. The macro atmosphere is bearish, weighing on commodity markets, Chinese consultancy Jinlianchuang said in a note.

• U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to escalate a global trade war with further tariffs on European Union goods, hours after his 25% duties on all U.S. steel and aluminium imports took effect.

• Trump has also threatened to "substantially increase" tariffs on cars coming into the United States, causing shares of U.S. automakers to slide earlier this week.

• Automobile sales could influence the intensity of automobile manufacturing, which involves using rubber-made tyres.

• Oil prices slipped as markets weighed macroeconomic concerns against firm near-term demand.O/R

• Natural rubber often takes direction from oil prices as it competes for market share with synthetic rubber, which is made from crude oil.

• Still, domestic production areas have stopped harvesting, while expected thunderstorms in Thailand may lead to tight upstream supply in the future, said Chinese rubber sales portal Natural Rubber Network.

• From March 12-16, the South will experience thundershowers, said Thailand's meteorological agency, adding that farmers should prepare for crop damage.

• The front-month rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's SICOM platform for March delivery STFc1 last traded at 194.5 U.S. cents per kg, down 1.4%.

($1 = 147.7800 yen)

($1 = 7.2395 Chinese yuan)