The Edge Markets (05/04/2018) - KUALA LUMPUR (April 5): Malaysian palm oil futures hit a fresh one-month top on Thursday, charting a fourth session of gains in five, as expectations of falling end-March stockpiles boosted the market.

The benchmark palm oil contract for June delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange rose 0.7% to 2,472 ringgit US$639.59) a tonne at the end of the trading day.

It earlier rose to 2,478 ringgit a tonne, its highest since March 7. 

Trading volume stood at 26,381 lots of 25 tonnes each at the close of trade.

"The market is looking at end-stocks reducing," a Kuala Lumpur-based trader said, referring to Malaysian inventory levels at the end of March.

Another trader said news of China's increase in tariffs by up to 25% on 128 U.S. products, including soybeans also lent support to the market.

China's move to impose tariffs on imported U.S. soybeans may boost palm oil's draw in the short term, traders and analysts said, as the spread between palm and soyoil is expected to widen as the latter becomes more costly in Beijing.

Palm oil stocks in Malaysia, the world's second largest producer of the tropical oil, are expected to have slipped to their lowest in five months, down 8.6% from February to 2.27 million tonnes, according to a Reuters poll on Thursday.

The survey also showed exports to have risen to the highest in over a year and a half at 1.57 million tonnes, up 19.3% from February. Meanwhile, production is seen up 11.3% to 1.49 million tonnes in March, its first monthly gain in five. 

Official data will be released by industry regulator, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), on April 10.

In related oils, the Chicago Board of Trade's May soybean oil contract was up 0.3%.

China's Dalian Commodity Exchange is closed on Thursday for a national holiday. 

Palm oil prices are impacted by movements in rival edible oils, as they compete for a share in the global vegetable oils market. 

Palm oil may rise to a range of 2,471-2,498 ringgit per tonne, according to Reuters market analyst for commodities and energy technicals Wang Tao.
    
 Palm, soy and crude oil prices as of 1038 GMT

 Contract                     Month   Last   Change   Low   High  Volume
 MY PALM OIL             APR8     2445   +14.00    2440   2445      40
 MY PALM OIL             MAY8    2469  +14.00    2445   2479    2000
 MY PALM OIL             JUN8     2468   +18.00    2455   2478   14277
 CHINA PALM OLEIN  SEP8        0      +0.00        0         0          0
 CHINA SOYOIL           SEP8        0      +0.00        0         0          0
 CBOT SOY OIL           MAY8   31.78   +0.10    31.68   31.82    4072
 INDIA PALM OIL       APR8   654.70   +1.80   652.50  655.3    1076
 INDIA SOYOIL           APR8    780.4    +0.70    778.2   781.8    6440
 NYMEX CRUDE        MAY8    63.21   -0.16     63.19   63.79  109365

 Palm oil prices in Malaysian ringgit per tonne
 CBOT soy oil in U.S. cents per pound
 Dalian soy oil and RBD palm olein in Chinese yuan per tonne
 India soy oil in Indian rupee per 10 kg
 Crude in U.S. dollars per barrel
 
(US$1 = 3.8650 ringgit)
(US$1 = 65.0175 Indian rupees)
(US$1 = 6.3045 Chinese yuan) 

Read more at http://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/palm-rises-new-onemonth-top-falling-stocks-outlook