Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian rubber market continued its upward trend at the close on Thursday, aligning with regional rubber futures, as Chinese buyers returned to the market amidst stable crude oil prices, according to a dealer.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Japanese rubber futures also saw an increase on Thursday, influenced by the Nikkei index and the resumption of trade in China following the National Day holiday. The dealer further explained that market sentiment improved due to the positive global economic outlook provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Additionally, rubber prices received support from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) report indicating a decline in local natural rubber (NR) production.

The DOSM detailed that local NR production fell by 12.8 percent in August 2025, totaling 31,285 tonnes, compared to 35,884 tonnes in July 2025. Despite these developments, the dealer noted that further gains were limited by a slightly stronger ringgit amid global economic uncertainties stemming from the prolonged US government shutdown and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

At the time of writing, Brent crude oil had increased by 0.29 percent to US$66.30 per barrel. Meanwhile, at 3 pm, the Malaysian Rubber Board reported that the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 (SMR 20) increased by 4.5 sen to 740 sen per kilogram, while latex-in-bulk rose by one sen to 574 sen per kilogram.