KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 – The Kuala Lumpur rubber market ended higher on Friday, with positive United States (US) economic data and encouraging US automotive outlook supporting market sentiment amid mixed regional futures, a dealer said.
The dealer told Bernama that resilient US labour-market conditions gave a boost to market sentiment, with initial jobless claims falling by 1,000 to 197,000 for the week ended Sept 19.
“A stronger US automotive outlook supported demand sentiment, with the 2026 full-year new vehicle sales forecast raised to 16.1 million units, while September sales are expected to increase 6.5 per cent year-on-year,” she said.
However, she noted that gains were limited by a stronger ringgit against the US dollar, weaker tyre production and demand in China ahead of a long holiday, and higher inventories on the Shanghai Futures Exchange.
At 3 pm, Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 (SMR 20) rose four sen to 1,040 sen per kilogramme (kg), while bulk latex remained unchanged at 730.5 sen per kg.
