Rubber fell for a second day as weakening crude oil prices and a stronger yen cut its appeal.
The contract for February delivery on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange lost as much as 2.3% to 277.3 yen a kilogramme ($2,825 a metric tonne) and traded at 278.80 yen at 11.18am. Futures gained 3.3% this month, the third monthly advance. The market was closed on Monday for a holiday.
West Texas Intermediate traded near the lowest in more than six weeks on speculation a United Nations resolution this week will reduce the likelihood of United States-led strikes against Syria. Natural rubber competes with oil-derived alternatives for use in tires. The yen climbed after Federal Reserve Bank of New York President William C Dudley said policy makers must "forcefully" push against economic headwinds.
"A lack of support from the energy and currency markets sapped investor appetite," said Takaki Shigemoto, an analyst at research company JSC Corp in Tokyo.
Rubber for January delivery on the Shanghai Futures Exchange lost 0.5% to 20,790 yuan ($3,396) a tonne. Thai rubber free-on-board lost 0.8% to 82.50 baht ($2.63) a kilogramme on Monday, according to the Rubber Research Institute of Thailand.