Vegoils Palm oil rises on bargain hunting, export demand seen steady

by **Cals** Wed 20 Nov 2013, 22:33

Vegoils Palm oil rises on bargain hunting, export demand seen steady

Business & Markets 2013

Written by Reuters

Wednesday, 20 November 2013 19:22

(20/11/13 18:39:49)

* Low palm prices attract buyers, export demand seen improving -trader
* Malaysia's Nov 1-20 palm oil exports down 2.1-7.2 pct -cargo surveyors
* Palm oil still targets 2,506 ringgit -technicals

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 20): Malaysian palm oil futures ended higher on Wednesday, reversing losses in the morning session after the tropical oil's losing streak, stoked buying interest, although prices were locked in rangebound trade.

Steady demand also supported. Cargo surveyor Intertek Testing Services showed that exports of Malaysian palm oil in Nov 1-20 slipped 2.1 percent, compared with volumes shipped a month ago, as purchases from India and China cooled, but the declines were less steep, compared to the first half of November.

There was buying going on at the 2,545 ringgit levels, which caused the market to move upwards again, said a trader with a foreign commodities brokerage. "But prices are still range-trading."

"Although exports are still slightly down, you can see exports in the second half of the month has improved, compared to the first ten days," the Kuala Lumpur-based trader added.

Another cargo surveyor Societe Generale de Surveillance showed exports for the same period fell 7.2 percent to 975,011 tonnes, compared to a month ago.

By Wednesday's close, the benchmark February contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange had edged up 0.9 percent, to 2,579 ringgit ($811) per tonne. Prices in the morning session had dipped to as low as 2,545 ringgit.

Total traded volume stood at only 33,662 lots of 25 tonnes each, compared with the average 35,000 lots.

Technicals showed a bearish target at 2,506 ringgit per tonne, remains unchanged for Malaysian palm oil, driven by a downward wave c, said Reuters market analyst Wang Tao.

Palm oil demand typically looses steam in the last quarter of the year, as countries in the northern hemisphere turn colder — the tropical oil solidifies in winter, making it a less attractive option compared to other competing edible oils, such as soyoil.

While market players say the world's second-largest palm oil buyer China, will still import palm ahead of its January Lunar New Year festival, investors are wary that Chinese buyers might have booked shipments in September, when prices were around 2,300 ringgit.

Palm products such as palm kernel oil could be supported, as dwindling supplies of coconut oil from typhoon-hit Philippines could turn buyers to seek alternatives, but price-gains will likely be limited, traders and industry officials said.

In other markets, Brent climbed back above $107 a barrel on Wednesday, while U.S. crude futures rose for a second day, after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's reassurance about ultra-easy monetary policy continuing, and on hopes of higher U.S. oil demand.

In competing vegetable oil markets, the U.S. soyoil contract for December rose 0.5 percent, in late Asian trade. The most active May soybean oil contract on the Dalian Commodities Exchange, rose 0.3 percent.

Palm, soy and crude oil prices at 1023 GMT
Contract	Month	Last	Change	Low	High	Volume
MY PALM OIL	DEC3	2583	+21.00	2550	2585	118
MY PALM OIL	JAN4	2578	+21.00	2547	2595	4878
MY PALM OIL	FEB4	2579	+23.00	2545	2596	16855
CHINA PALM OLEIN	MAY4	6268	+34.00	6192	6270	605918
CHINA SOYOIL	MAY4	7184	+18.00	7138	7186	699338
CBOT SOY OIL	DEC3	40.18	+0.19	40.00	40.31	7228
NYMEX CRUDE	DEC3	93.22	-0.13	93.21	93.72	1775

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
Crude in U.S. dollars per barrel
($1 = 3.18 Malaysian ringgit)