Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian rubber market closed lower on Wednesday, influenced by a stronger ringgit against the US dollar as a result of weak US economic data, said a dealer. At the time of writing, the ringgit stood at 4.4295/4340 against the greenback, strengthening from the previous day's close of 4.4355/4390.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the dealer highlighted that market sentiment was also affected by concerns over escalating US-China trade tensions and mixed signals from regional rubber futures markets. Market participants remained cautious as they anticipated a new round of US tariffs expected to be imposed next week.

Despite these challenges, the dealer mentioned that further losses in the rubber market were limited by gains in crude oil prices, optimism for additional Chinese economic stimulus, and a restricted rubber supply from major natural rubber producing countries.

At 3 pm, the Malaysian Rubber Board reported that the Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 dropped by 13 sen to 881 sen per kilogramme, while latex in bulk fell by six sen to 678 sen per kilogramme.