KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian rubber market is expected to remain volatile next week, with uncertainties prevailing in industrialised countries.
Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers’ Association immediate past president Denis Low said there appears to be a lull in the opening up of industries in China and Europe, mainly due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“As long as there is limited movement of people in industries, it will affect demand for dry rubber, mainly,” he told Bernama.
He said prices will remain range-bound for dry rubber, while latex-in-bulk will move up, owing to the monsoon season.
“The uptake of latex-in-bulk by glove makers will remain robust as the pandemic requirement for gloves is very strong, with the surging number of Covid-19 cases.”
On a Friday-to-Friday basis, Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 (SMR 20) dipped 27 sen to 618.5 per kg, while latex-in-bulk rose one sen to 587.0 per kg.
At 5pm on Friday, the Malaysian Rubber Board’s reference physical price for SMR 20 stood at 618.5 sen a kg, while latex-in-bulk was at 582.5 sen a kg. – Bernama, December 12, 2020
