THE Malaysian rubber market ended on a stronger note yesterday, supported by gains in regional rubber futures markets on hopes regulators are working to ring-fence the stress in the global banking system, a dealer said.

According to the dealer, positive economic data from the United States (US) and a weaker ringgit against the US dollar further lifted the market.

“Japanese rubber futures surged on Monday, supported by gains in the Shanghai rubber futures market and as traders assessed regulators’ attempt to contain the risks in the global financial system,” he said.

Meanwhile, he noted that S&P Global reported that the US business activity gained steam in March as the US Composite PMI Output Index increased to 53.3. The Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) price for the Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 (SMR 20) was up by eight sen to 581.0 sen a kilogramme (kg) while latex-in-bulk increased 2.5 sen to 513.0 sen a kg.