Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian rubber market closed lower on Friday, tracking the downward movement in regional rubber futures markets, said a dealer. The cautious mood among traders, as they awaited the key United States inflation index due later in the day, further dampened market sentiment.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the dealer mentioned that despite the downward trend, further losses were capped by ongoing concerns over a natural rubber supply shortage due to rainy weather in producing countries. Japanese rubber futures also dipped on Friday and were set to end the week lower amid expanding supply and seasonally declining demand.

At 3 pm, the Malaysian Rubber Board reported that the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 fell by 9.5 sen to 743.50 sen per kilogramme, while latex in bulk inched down by 3.0 sen to 569.50 sen per kg.