May 06, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 29, 1429

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5: Malaysian crude palm oil futures rose 1.5 per cent on Monday, rebounding from last week’s three-week low on fears of tight supplies due to renewed protests by Argentine farmers and prospect of firmer Asian demand.

Palm oil prices, which have drifted for the past three weeks, are heading downwards on a bearish mix of factors such as lower Indonesian export taxes, weak soyoil prices and a firmer ringgit against the dollar.

The benchmark July contract on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange settled up 49 ringgit at 3,390 ringgit ($1,074) per ton. On Friday, the market went as low as 3,306 ringgit, a level unseen since April 9 .

The losses and gains in palm oil market are not as spectacular as before, investors are getting cautious, said a trader at a local commodities broker. But there is some support from Argentine strike action and the presence of Indian buyers in the cash market. Other traded months rose between 37 and 58 ringgit.

Overall trade dropped to 3,463 lots of 25 tons each from the usual 8,000 lots.

But the most-active September soyoil contract on Dalian Commodity Exchange slipped in Asian hours.

Exports of Malaysian palm oil in April recovered from steep losses earlier in the month but posted up to a 7.4 pc increase in sales, cargo surveyors said last week.—Reuters