Kuala Lumpur: The Kuala Lumpur rubber market ended mixed on Monday amid a weaker showing in the regional rubber futures markets, said a dealer. The dealer noted that the Japanese rubber futures snapped a six-session rally on Friday due to seasonal demand concerns and a strengthening yen, despite the market being poised for its largest weekly gain in over two months, driven by higher oil prices.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, further declines were limited by favorable United States economic data and China’s central bank’s recent efforts to bolster the economy amidst positive developments in US-China trade relations. The US Federal Reserve (Fed) reported on Friday that US manufacturing output surged in December 2024, as production at Boeing increased following the resolution of a major strike by factory workers at the aerospace company. Additionally, the Fed indicated that factory output rose by 0.6 percent in December after a 0.4 percent rebound in November 2024.

It was also reported that US President-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation on Friday, during which both leaders expressed optimism, with Trump describing the call as “a very good one” and Xi expressing hope for a positive beginning to US-China relations. Meanwhile, the Malaysian Rubber Board announced that as of 3pm, the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 (SMR 20) fell by 5.0 sen to 879.50 sen per kilogram, whereas the price of latex in bulk rose by 1.5 sen to 672.00 sen per kilogram.