Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian rubber market ended mixed today, influenced by the downtrend in regional rubber futures markets, a dealer said. She noted that Japanese rubber futures snapped a four-day winning streak due to a slowdown in demand for tyre-making materials in China.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, market sentiment was also weighed down by ongoing geopolitical tensions in Europe and the Middle East. A dealer mentioned that senior United States officials are preparing for the possibility of a strike against Iran as soon as this weekend, although the situation remains unclear.

Despite these challenges, further losses in the rubber market were capped by gains in crude oil prices and a weaker ringgit against the US dollar. At 3 pm, the Malaysian Rubber Board reported that the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 (SMR 20) declined by 5.5 sen to 710.00 sen per kilogramme, while latex in bulk rose by 2.5 sen to 589.50 sen per kg.