Rubber Market Ends Higher Amid Regional Futures Uptrend

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur rubbermarket ended higher on Monday, supported by an upward trend inregional rubber futures, a dealer said. She said that concerns over tighter raw material supplies in majornatural rubber-producing countries also buoyed market sentiment. The dealer said sentiment is supported by a weaker ringgit againstthe United States dollar and positive US economic data.

"The positive US economic data is supported by the consumer sentiment that is expected to perk up in early January, although households continue to worry about inflation and a weakening labour market," she said. Nevertheless, the dealer said that further gains were capped by uncertainty surrounding the US trade policy, ongoing geopolitical tensions, and mixed performance in crude oil prices. At 3 pm, Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 gained six sen to 766.5 sen per kilogramme (kg), while latex-in-bulk rose one sen to 576 sen per kg.