Palm falls for fourth session on stockpile concerns, weak demand

Malaysian palm oil futures continued their downward trend on Wednesday for the fourth consecutive session, as concerns about rising inventories and sluggish demand took their toll on the market. The December delivery price for the benchmark palm oil contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange dropped 42 ringgit, or 0.87%, to 4,768 ringgit ($1,169.49) per metric ton at the end of trading.

Analyst Paramalingam Supramaniam, a director at Selangor-based brokerage Pelindung Bestari, noted that end-stocks are expected to reach 3 million metric tons or slightly more by the end of September, primarily due to a double-digit surge in production, especially in the state of Sabah. "Weak demand remains a significant factor, and the market is susceptible to the impact of these dominant variables," he explained.

Surveyors projected that exports of Malaysian palm oil products between September 1 and 20 fell between 12.8% and 24.7% compared to the previous month. In addition to Malaysia, Dalian's most-active soyoil contract declined 0.27%, while its palm oil contract slipped 1.43%. Palm oil prices on the Chicago Board of Trade also slipped by 0.63%.

The price of palm oil mirrors the fluctuations in other edible oils, as it competes for market share. Oil prices have hovered near their lowest in over two weeks due to improving Gulf crude supplies, although diesel refining margins reached a record high due to potential restrictions on US diesel exports. Weaker crude oil futures have made palm oil a less appealing option for biodiesel feedstock.

According to European Commission data, European Union soybean imports for the 2026/27 season, which started in July, had risen to 2.67 million tons by September 20, a 14% decrease from the previous year. Meanwhile, palm oil imports fell by 26% to 0.56 million tons.