Rubber Market Ends Lower On Expectation Of Softer Demand Ahead Of Lunar New Year

By K. Naveen Prabu

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur rubber market ended lower today, amid expectations of softer demand ahead of the Lunar New Year, said a dealer.

According to the dealer, pre-Lunar New Year stocking has largely been completed despite 12 trading days remaining. She said declining crude oil prices also dampened market sentiment.

“Oil prices fell after the US President Donald Trump administration eased some sanctions on Venezuela’s energy industry, potentially freeing up part of the South American country’s supply,” she told Bernama. 

At the time of writing, Brent crude oil was up 0.95 per cent to US$70.04 a barrel.

Nevertheless, she said positive US economic performance limited further losses.

“The widening US trade deficit in November reflects a strong surge in capital goods imports, particularly related to artificial intelligence investments, signalling robust business spending and confidence in long-term economic growth,” she added. 

At 3 pm, the Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 dropped 2.5 sen to 764.50 sen per kilogramme (kg), while latex-in-bulk remained unchanged at 577.50 sen per kg.

The Kuala Lumpur rubber market will be closed on Monday, Feb 2, 2026, for Thaipusam and the Federal Territory Day replacement holiday, and will resume trading on Tuesday, Feb 3, 2026.

-- BERNAMA