Kuala lumpur: The Kuala Lumpur rubber market closed lower today, reflecting a similar downturn in regional rubber futures markets, according to a dealer. The market sentiment remained fragile as persistent concerns loomed over China's slowing economic momentum.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the decline in the rubber market was partially offset by a significant supply shock resulting from severe floods in southern Thailand and higher crude oil prices. The dealer pointed out that the severe flooding in Thailand's southern region is expected to drastically reduce the supply from the world's largest natural rubber producer, potentially eliminating 90,000 metric tonnes of production.

At 3 pm, the Malaysian Rubber Board reported that the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 fell by 7.5 sen to 726 sen per kilogramme, while latex-in-bulk decreased by 0.5 sen to 578 sen per kilogramme.