Kuala lumpur: The Kuala Lumpur rubber market closed lower on Monday, tracking declines in regional rubber futures markets. This downturn was influenced by weak economic data emerging from China and other Asian countries, as reported by a dealer.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the decline in rubber prices was tempered by firmer crude oil prices and renewed hopes of additional Chinese stimulus. At the time of writing, Brent crude oil price saw an increase of 1.86 percent, reaching US$63.55 per barrel.

Market sentiment received some support from encouraging automobile sales projections for 2025, ongoing rainfall in major natural rubber-producing countries, and rising expectations of a possible United States rate cut within the month. The dealer also highlighted that Japanese rubber futures fell on Monday, impacted by a stronger yen and subdued demand from the automobile sector. However, these losses were mitigated by heavy rainfall across several key rubber-producing regions.

At 3 pm, the Malaysian Rubber Board reported that the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 decreased by 5.5 sen to 720.5 sen per kilogramme, while latex-in-bulk saw a slight decline of a sen to 577 sen per kilogramme.