Kuala lumpur: The Kuala Lumpur rubber market ended mixed today, weighed down by declines in regional rubber futures and lower benchmark crude oil prices amid expectations of easing supply tightness, a dealer said.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Brent crude oil eased by 1.13 per cent to US$109.97 per barrel at the time of writing. The dealer noted that Japanese rubber futures fell on Wednesday as improved tapping activity in Thailand and West Africa impacted spot prices. Sentiment was also affected by concerns over slower global economic growth and ongoing uncertainty surrounding the West Asia conflict.

The dealer mentioned that losses were capped by a slightly weaker ringgit, optimism over improving United States-China trade relations, a stable Chinese economy, and hopes for a potential peace resolution in West Asia. At 3 pm, the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 rose four sen to 894 sen per kilogramme (kg), while latex-in-bulk declined five sen to 770.5 sen per kg.