Kuala lumpur: Crude palm oil (CPO) futures on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives are expected to trade higher next week, supported by stronger demand expectations, a trader said.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Iceberg X Sdn Bhd proprietary trader David Ng noted that the ongoing United States-Iran conflict has raised expectations for increased palm oil demand. This geopolitical tension is influencing market sentiments, leading traders to anticipate higher CPO prices. "Next week, we expect prices to range between RM4,500 and RM4,680 per tonne," Ng informed Bernama.

On a weekly basis, fluctuations were observed across various contracts. The April 2026 contract experienced a decline of RM40, settling at RM4,540 per tonne. In contrast, the May 2026 contract saw a slight decrease of RM8, closing at RM4,611 per tonne, while the June 2026 contract edged up by RM20 to RM4,631 per tonne.

Meanwhile, the July 2026 contract observed a gain of RM40, reaching RM4,620 per tonne. The August 2026 contract rose by RM55, ending at RM4,597 per tonne, and the September 2026 contract advanced by RM66, closing at RM4,570 per tonne.

The weekly trading volume witnessed a significant surge, increasing to 363,166 lots from 136,763 lots the previous week. However, the open interest saw a slight decrease, dropping to 236,911 contracts from the prior 237,306 contracts. Additionally, the physical CPO price for March South experienced a drop of RM40, settling at RM4,560 per tonne.