Kuala lumpur: Crude palm oil (CPO) futures on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives ended mostly higher on Friday, buoyed by steady energy prices, gains in rival edible oils, and expectations of tighter Indonesian supplies following the implementation of the B50 biodiesel mandate.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Mumbai-based Sunvin Group commodity research head Anilkumar Bagani noted that the benchmark contract continued its upward trend. The market sentiment was supported by firmer Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) refined, bleached, and deodorised (RBD) palm olein futures, Indonesia's biodiesel policy, and renewed demand from China. Bagani highlighted that palm oil's discount to gas oil had widened to USD 445 per tonne, while its price remained competitive against soybean oil, rapeseed oil, and sunflower oil, making it more appealing to buyers.

Bagani also mentioned that the El-Nino weather phenomenon has been supporting bullish sentiments in palm oil. However, its immediate impact on palm oil production in the tropical region is yet to be visible. At the close, the August 2026 contract slipped RM5 to RM4,591 per tonne, while the September 2026 contract gained RM14 to RM4,677 per tonne, and the October 2026 contract rose RM12 to RM4,722 per tonne.

In addition, the November 2026 contract increased RM12 to RM4,753 per tonne, the December 2026 contract advanced RM11 to RM4,779 per tonne, and the January 2027 contract added RM7 to RM4,800 per tonne. Trading volume declined to 118,819 lots from 137,068 lots on Thursday, while open interest widened to 306,540 contracts from 300,098 previously. The physical CPO price for August South increased RM10 to RM4,610 per tonne.