Kuala lumpur: The rubber market is expected to be quiet with a tendency to move slightly higher next week, said industry expert Denis Low. He noted that despite the continuous rain which hampered rubber production, there is no anxiety over shortages and volatility in supply, demand, and prices.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Low highlighted that this year seems to be more stable in terms of supply and demand dynamics. He emphasized the importance of the maturity of users in stocking up to manage the monsoon period, which plays a crucial role in stabilizing supply and demand.

Meanwhile, Low mentioned that the Thai Meteorological Department has forecast a fairly strong northeast monsoon over the Gulf of Thailand, southern Thailand, and the Andaman Sea, which is expected to bring isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall in the southern region. Similarly, the Malaysian Meteorological Department has issued an alert-level continuous rain warning for several states in Peninsular Malaysia.

During the previous week, the Kuala Lumpur rubber market was closed on December 24 and 25 for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, resuming trading on December 26. On a Friday-to-Friday basis, the Malaysian Rubber Board's reference price for Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 (SMR 20) increased by 20.5 sen to 743.5 sen per kilogramme (kg), while latex-in-bulk declined by a sen to 574 sen per kg.