Malaysian palm oil futures reversed gains from a near 21-month high on Wednesday as bearish sentiment over weak exports overrode declining production. Government data showed that January's exports dropped 13.8 percent, while cargo surveyors Intertek Testing Services and Societe Generale de Surveillance reported fall of 22.7 percent and 38.8 percent respectively in shipments during the first 10 days of February as compared with last month.
The palm oil contract for April delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange was down 0.5 percent at 2,566 ringgit ($623.12) per tonne at the end of the trading session. It reached 2,604 ringgit on Friday, its strongest level since May 16, 2014. Traded volume stood at 43,237 lots of 25 tonnes each.
"The market traded on a cautious note today, with subdued activities in the cash market. The MPOB numbers are bullish with production dipping almost 20 percent," said a trader from a brokerage firm in Kuala Lumpur, referring to government data from Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). "However, the lower 10 days exports in February... may keep the range tight." Malaysian end-stocks and output for the month of January fell by 12.4 percent and 19.3 percent respectively, according to MPOB data.
Leading vegetable oil analysts at a conference in Pakistan forecast a slowdown in Southeast Asian palm oil production in 2016, as the dry weather impact of El Nino kicks in. In competing vegetable oil markets, the US March soyaoil contract gained 0.6 percent.
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