Palm oil hits 3-week high on Indonesia biodiesel plans, Malaysia output woes
26/08/2024 (Reuters), Singapore - Malaysian palm oil futures advanced for the fourth session on Monday, touching their highest in more than three weeks on Indonesia's plan to further raise its biodiesel blending and concerns of rainy weather hurting Malaysia's production.
The benchmark palm oil contract FCPOc3 for November delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange rose 52 ringgit, or 1.34%, to 3,919 ringgit ($902.79) a metric ton by the midday break.
The contract hit an intraday high of 3,925 ringgit, its strongest level since Aug. 2.
Indonesia's president-elect Prabowo Subianto hopes to implement mandatory 50% palm oil-based biodiesel blending by early next year, which he said would cut fuel imports by $20 billion per year.
The country last week said it planned to raise the blending to 40% in January 2025, from the present 35%.
"The above, added with the weather vagaries in the Peninsular Malaysia, incessant rain and production worries, are the main catalysts for the firmness in the palm oil market today," Lingam Supramaniam, director at Selangor-based brokerage Pelindung Bestari said.
The meteorological department of Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer, forecast thunderstorms from Aug. 26-27.
Exports of Malaysian palm oil products for Aug. 1-25 fell between 14.1% to 14.9% from a month earlier, data from cargo surveyor Intertek Testing Services and independent inspection company AmSpec Agri Malaysia showed.
Dalian's most-active soyoil contract DBYcv1 advanced 1.24%, while its palm oil contract DCPcv1 climbed 2.98%. Soyoil prices on the Chicago Board of Trade BOcv1 ticked 0.32% higher.
Palm oil is affected by price movements in related oils as they compete for a share in the global vegetable oils market.
Oil prices extended gains on fears a major spillover in fighting from the Gaza conflict into the Middle East could disrupt regional oil supplies, while imminent U.S. interest rate cuts lifted the global economic and fuel demand outlook. O/R
Stronger crude oil futures make palm a more attractive option for biodiesel feedstock.
Palm oil may test resistance of 3,892 ringgit per metric ton, a break above which could confirm a target range of 3,909 ringgit to 3,927 ringgit, said Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao. TECH/C
($1 = 4.3410 ringgit)