RUBBER-Japan futures on track to snap four-day rally on US auto tariffs

SINGAPORE, March 27 (Reuters) -

• Japanese rubber futures were set to snap a four-day rally on Thursday, as fresh U.S. automobile tariffs dampened demand prospects for the tyre-making material, though supply concerns cushioned the fall.

• The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for August delivery JRUc6, 0#2JRU: was down 1.3 yen, or 0.37%, at 354.5 yen ($2.36) per kg as of 0207 GMT.

• The rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) for May delivery SNRv1 shed 115 yuan, or 0.67%, to 16,925 yuan ($2,330.08) per metric ton.

• The most active May butadiene rubber contract on the SHFE SHBRv1 ticked up 45 yuan, or 0.33%, to 13,560 yuan ($1,866.82) per ton.

• U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled a 25% tariff on imported cars and light trucks starting next week, in a move auto industry experts expect will drive up prices and stymie production.

• Automobile sales could influence the intensity of automobile manufacturing.

• Meanwhile, Trump also said he would be willing to reduce tariffs on China to get a deal done with Chinese parent ByteDance to sell TikTok.

• In February and earlier this month, Trump added levies totaling 20% to existing tariffs on all imports from China.

• China's industrial profits slipped in the first two months of 2025 on persistent deflationary pressures and an escalating trade war with the U.S.

• The meteorological agency of top producer Thailand warned of potential crop damage, with outbreaks of summer storms possible from March 29-April 1.

• Upstream raw material prices have been high, though this may prompt Southeast Asia's production areas to start harvesting early, said Chinese financial information website Tonghuashun Information.

• The front-month rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's SICOM platform for April delivery STFc1 last traded at 195.6 U.S. cents per kg, up 0.3%.

($1 = 150.1200 yen)

($1 = 7.2637 Chinese yuan)