Palm slips for fourth session on stockpile fears, weak demand

Malaysian palm oil futures plummeted over 1% on Wednesday, marking the fourth consecutive day of decline, due to concerns about increasing inventories and sluggish demand. The December delivery contract for the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange fell by 71 ringgit, or 1.48%, to 4,739 ringgit ($1,163.80) per metric ton. According to Paramalingam Supramaniam, a director at a brokerage firm in Selangor, the market is well aware that end-stocks could reach 3 million metric tons by September, largely due to a surge in production, especially in Sabah.

However, demand remains weak, and the market is heavily influenced by these factors, he explained. Surveys revealed that exports of Malaysian palm oil products between September 1 and 20 declined by 12.8% to 24.7% compared to the previous month. The most-traded soyoil contract in Dalian also dropped 0.61%, while its palm oil contract fell 1.79%.

Soyoil prices on the Chicago Board of Trade experienced a decline of 0.97%. Palm oil closely follows the price movements of other edible oils as it competes for a slice of the global vegetable oil market. Oil prices slid lower following Saudi Arabia's resumption of crude oil supply to the Red Sea and optimism for a diplomatic end to the US-Iran conflict, which was discussed at the UN in New York.

Weaker crude oil futures make palm oil less appealing as a biodiesel feedstock. According to data from the European Commission, EU soybean imports for the 2026/27 season, which began in July, reached 2.67 million tons by September 20, a 14% decrease from the previous year. Palm oil imports also fell by 26% to 0.56 million tons during the same period.