Kuala lumpur: The Kuala Lumpur rubber market ended mixed on Friday amid a downtrend in its regional peers and declining global sales of electric vehicles (EVs), said a dealer. He noted that these losses were, however, tempered by China's recent stimulus measures and growing concerns over a tight rubber supply.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Japanese rubber futures experienced a slip, influenced by weaker Asian equities despite a softer yen and a tightening supply of synthetic rubber. The dealer cited Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, indicating that global EV registrations saw an 11 percent decrease in February 2026, with China's sales plummeting 32 percent to fewer than 500,000 vehicles.

Chinese lenders have announced plans to channel more funds towards technology and innovation firms, aligning with Beijing's push to integrate artificial intelligence across the economy and emerging sectors. Additionally, the supply of butadiene rubber is expected to tighten due to disruptions in feedstock supplies from the Middle East, potentially increasing the demand for natural rubber.

At 3 pm, the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 eased by five sen to 785 sen per kilogramme (kg), while latex in bulk gained five sen to 665 sen per kg.