Malaysian Rubber Market Extends Uptrend On US-China Trade Truce Optimism

By Fatin Umairah Abdul Hamid

KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian rubber market extended its uptrend on Wednesday, tracking gains in regional rubber futures markets amid continued optimism over a potential United States (US)-China trade truce, said a dealer.

The dealer noted that market sentiment was also supported by softer-than-expected US inflation data and a decline in natural rubber (NR) production, as reported by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

According to DOSM, Malaysia’s NR production fell by 20.3 per cent to 28,712 tonnes in March 2025 from 36,005 tonnes in February 2025.

However, production rose by 6.5 per cent year-on-year compared with 26,966 tonnes in March 2024.

“Nevertheless, further gains were capped by declines in crude oil prices and a stronger ringgit against the US dollar,” she told Bernama.

At the time of writing, Brent crude oil prices declined 0.60 per cent to US$66.22 per barrel. 

Meanwhile, as of 3 pm, the Malaysian Rubber Board reported that the price of SMR 20 rose by 10 sen to 780 sen per kilogramme (kg), while latex in bulk increased by 5.0 sen to 616 sen per kg.

-- BERNAMA