KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian palm oil futures on Monday slipped to a second session of declines in three on weaker export data, while March output is expected to improve from a month ago.

Benchmark palm oil futures for June delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange were down 0.8 per cent at 2,780 ringgit ($628.25) a tonne in the evening. Traded volumes stood at 51,323 lots of 25 tonnes each at the end of the trading day.

“The market is looking at lower demand, while supply is to see a marginal increase,” said a futures trader from Kuala Lumpur.

Export data for Malaysian palm oil shipments saw a decline between March 1 and March 20, about 3pc down from a month ago, according to cargo surveyor Intertek Testing Services.

Another cargo surveyor, Societe Generale de Surveillance, showed a 7.9pc decline in shipments during the same time period.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2017