Kuala lumpur: The Kuala Lumpur rubber market ended mixed on Monday, tracking weaker regional rubber futures, according to a dealer. He noted that declining crude oil prices also weighed down market sentiment. "Oil prices tumbled more than six per cent as easing tensions between the United States and Iran reduced geopolitical risk premiums," he informed Bernama.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, at the time of writing, the Brent crude oil price had decreased by 7.95 per cent to US$89.09 per barrel. The dealer also highlighted that weaker Chinese economic data and a subdued outlook for the country's economic growth in the second half of 2026 contributed to the market's weakness. "China's industrial profit growth slowed to 15.1 per cent in June, indicating weaker manufacturing momentum. Additionally, China's economic outlook in the second half of 2026 weakened due to soft domestic demand, weak credit growth, the property sector downturn, and moderating exports," he elaborated.

Nonetheless, the dealer remarked that further losses were capped by positive US economic data and easing geopolitical tensions in West Asia, which sparked hopes for further de-escalation. "US business activity strengthened in July, with the services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rising to 53.6 from 51.2 in June, while the composite PMI reached an eight-month high of 53.6, supporting a resilient economic outlook. Meanwhile, the pause in the US-Iran conflict eased geopolitical tensions and concerns over energy supply disruptions, impacting oil prices," the dealer added.

At 3 pm, the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 (SMR 20) rose by 4.50 sen to 896.50 sen per kilogramme (kg), while latex in bulk decreased by 5.50 sen to 712.50 sen per kg.