The Malaysian rubber market closed higher on Aug 11, continuing the uptrend on Aug 8 in tandem with gains in regional rubber futures, particularly in Japan, amid expectations of US interest rate cuts, Bernama reported. The report stated that sentiment was further buoyed by concerns over tightening raw material supply in major natural rubber producing countries such as Thailand, where wet weather has disrupted output. However, gains were capped by weaker crude oil prices as investors awaited developments on the US-China tariff truce, which is set to expire this week. As of writing, benchmark Brent crude was down 0.84% at US$66.03 per barrel. At 3pm, the Malaysian Rubber Board quoted Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) 20 at 736.00 sen per kg, up 10.0 sen, while latex in bulk rose 5.0 sen to 574.00 sen per kg.