RUBBER MARKET ENDS LOWER AMID REGIONAL RUBBER FUTURES LOSSES

By Fatin Umairah Abdul Hamid

KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian rubber market closed lower on Friday, weighed down by losses in the regional rubber futures markets as investors remained cautious ahead of United States (US) President Donald Trump's tariff agenda.

A dealer said declines in crude oil prices and mixed US economic signals also contributed to the negative sentiment.

“Nevertheless, further losses were capped by encouraging Chinese automobile data and China’s efforts to support its economy amid limited natural rubber (NR) supply from major NR-producing countries,” she told Bernama.

At the time of writing, Brent crude oil prices had declined 0.46 per cent to US$73.69 per barrel.

At 3 pm, the Malaysian Rubber Board reported that Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 eased by four sen to 874.5 sen per kilogramme, while latex in bulk fell by four sen to 671 sen per kilogramme.

The Kuala Lumpur market will be closed from March 31 to April 1, 2025, in conjunction with the Aidilfitri celebration, and will resume on April 2, 2025.

-- BERNAMA