Palm Oil Retreats on Profit Taking But Heads for weekly gain
2026-09-18 05:05
By
Farida Husna
1 min. read
Malaysian palm oil futures hovered below MYR 4,910 per tonne, reversing recent gains as weakness in rival edible oils on Dalian and Chicago markets weighed on sentiment.
Prices also pulled back from a 21-month high on profit-taking, while sluggish exports added pressure, with cargo surveyors estimating September 1–15 palm oil shipments fell between 17.8% and 25.6% from August.
Crude oil also eased as extra cargoes tempered supply concerns, reducing palm’s biodiesel appeal.
Even so, futures were still on track for a weekly gain of about 1.9%, supported by expectations of tighter supplies ahead.
Indonesia’s B50 mandate is set to divert more palm oil to domestic use, while El Niño risks could curb output in both Indonesia and Malaysia.
In India, imports rose 7% in August to 782,761 tonnes, the highest since February, as refiners replenished stocks ahead of the festival season.
Separately, Malaysia raised its October crude palm oil reference price but kept the export duty unchanged at 10%.