Kuala Lumpur:The Kuala Lumpur rubber market concluded the trading week on a lower note, influenced by weaker sentiment in regional rubber futures markets and the appreciation of the ringgit against the US dollar, a dealer reported.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the market's sentiment was negatively impacted by recent developments in West Asia and a cautious demand from downstream sectors in China, despite a recovery in operations following the Golden Week holiday.

However, the dealer noted that the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) has projected that global natural rubber demand will outpace production by 2026. This forecast, bolstered by stronger-than-expected economic data from the United States and stable benchmark crude oil prices, helped to mitigate further losses in the market.

By 5.28 pm, the ringgit had strengthened to 4.0545/0590 against the US dollar from the previous day's closing rate of 4.0575/0620. Earlier in the day, at 3 pm, the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 (SMR 20) decreased by 4.50 sen to 994.0 sen per kilogram, while latex in bulk fell by 0.5 sen to 787.50 sen per kilogram.