KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur rubber market ended lower on Thursday, taking its cue from the mixed regional rubber futures market performance and weighed down by the stronger ringgit versus the US dollar, a dealer said. She stated that the market sentiment was also affected by uncertainties in United States policies and the ongoing Middle East geopolitical conflict.

According to Bernama News Agency, the decline in the rubber market was partially offset by gains in crude oil prices, rising hopes for more Chinese fiscal stimulus, and concerns regarding tight global natural rubber supply due to inclement weather forecasts in major producing countries. At 5 pm, Brent crude oil prices rose by 1.1 percent to US$73.69 per barrel.

The Malaysian Rubber Board reported that the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 (SMR 20) slid by 8.0 sen to 856.5 sen per kilogramme (kg), while latex in bulk inched down by two sen to 679 sen per kg. By 5 pm, SMR 20 stood at 854 sen per kg and latex in bulk was at 678 sen per kg.