RUBBER MARKET ENDS HIGHER ON STRONG REGIONAL FUTURES, CHINA ECONOMIC DATA

By K. Naveen Prabu

KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur rubber market ended higher on Friday, extending its gains amid rising Japanese rubber futures and supported by firm physical prices of the commodity in Thailand.

Positive Chinese economic data further bolstered market sentiment, a trader said.

“China’s industrial profits rose 15.2 per cent in January-February 2026, versus 0.6 per cent in 2025, showing recovery but still facing cost pressures and export risks,” he said, adding that improvements in US-China trade relations also contributed to the trend.

“China signalled a positive step for US-China trade, with Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao emphasising stronger economic and trade cooperation to boost bilateral relations,” the trader said. 

Nevertheless, he said gains were capped by mixed crude oil prices. “Oil prices were mixed on Friday after US President Donald Trump extended a 10-day pause on attacks against Iran's energy plants, while uncertainty over the conflict persisted,” he noted.

At the time of writing, Brent crude oil rose 1.82 per cent to US$110 per barrel.

At 3 pm, the price of Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 gained 3.50 sen to 803 sen per kilogramme (kg), while latex in bulk rose five sen to 689.50 sen per kg.

-- BERNAMA