RUBBER-Japan futures slide on profit taking, trade tensions and sluggish Chinese manufacturing

July 31 (Reuters) -

• Japanese rubber futures fell across all exchanges on Thursday as traders booked profits after last week's rally, while fresh U.S. tariffs on South Korean autos and weak manufacturing data weighed.

• The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for January delivery JRUc6, 0#2JRU: was down 7.2 yen, or 2.23%, at 315.5 yen ($2.12) per kg.

• The rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) for September delivery SNRv1 fell 435 yuan, or 2.9%, to 14,560 yuan ($2,024.64) per metric ton.

• The most active September butadiene rubber contract on the SHFE SHBRv1 dipped 340 yuan, or 2.87%, to 11,495 yuan ($1,598.44) per metric ton.

• In the latest round of U.S. tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, South Korean automobile exports will face a 15% tariff.

• Although this rate is lower than the 25% tariff threatened in April, South Korea previously enjoyed zero tariffs on its automobile exports to the U.S., whereas Japanese automakers had a 2.5% tariff.

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

• The fall in prices comes as Japanese rubber futures logged their sixth straight week of gains last week.

• "The downward movements are primarily a result of profit-taking after the strong rally in the previous week," said Farah Miller, founder of independent rubber-focused firm Helixtap Technologies.

• "With prices back in line with fundamentals, tyre makers have returned to spot buying, while ample warehouse stocks could keep prices range-bound until new market volatility," Farah added.

• Elsewhere, China's PMI data showed that manufacturing activity shrank for a fourth month to 49.3 in July, below the 50-mark separating growth from contraction, a sign that the surge in exports ahead of a U.S. tariff deadline has started to fade.

• The front-month rubber contract on Singapore Exchange's SICOM platform for August delivery STFc1 last traded at 163.6 U.S. cents per kg, down 3.1%.

($1 = 148.9300 yen)

($1 = 7.1914 Chinese yuan)