KL Rubber Market Rebounds On Crude Oil Prices Recovery

By Danni Haizal Danial Donald

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur rubber market rebounded from yesterday’s losses to close higher on Thursday, supported by a recovery in crude oil prices amid mixed signals from regional rubber futures markets, said a dealer.

The dealer said rubber prices also remained supported by tightening supply, as reflected in statistics and reports showing declining production.

“However, further gains were capped by concerns over inflation stemming from escalating conflicts in  West Asia, as well as subdued buying interest,” he told Bernama.

He said oil prices jumped on Thursday as Iran stepped up attacks on oil and transport facilities across West Asia, raising fears of a prolonged conflict and oil-flow disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.

At the time of writing, Brent crude oil prices rose 6.16 per cent to US$97.63 per barrel.

“Additionally, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSМ) reported that Malaysian natural rubber production decreased by 0.4 per cent to 28,579 tonnes in January 2026 compared to 28,684 tonnes in December 2025 and a 5.9 per cent decline from 30,357 tonnes year on year,” he said.

At 3 pm, the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 inched up 0.5 sen to 790 sen per kilogramme (kg), while latex in bulk eased five sen to 660 sen per kg.

-- BERNAMA