KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20: Malaysian palm oil futures ended down but off lows after a drop in latest export estimates from cargo surveyor SGS did little to hurt a market glowing over crop prospects for December.

SGS, or Societe Generale de Surveillance, said on Friday that Malaysian palm oil exports for December 1-20 stood at 586,487 tons, down from 604,514 tons for the same period in November.

Wong, a private crop forecaster, had put Malaysia’s palm oil output for December at 945,000 to 950,000 tons versus the official tally of 1.06m tons for November.

December CPO was traded at 1,680 ringgit in both the central and southern regions.

January CPO was offered at 1,680 ringgit a ton against bids at 1,690 ringgit, unchanged from Thursday. It was also traded at 1,680 in the central and southern zones.—Reuters