Kuala lumpur: Crude palm oil (CPO) futures on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives are expected to trade sideways next week, as the market remains in a cautious mode awaiting catalysts from the outcomes of the 37th Palm and Lauric Oils Price Outlook Conference and Exhibition (POC2026) next week.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, proprietary trader David Ng of Iceberg X Sdn Bhd stated that the conference would likely focus on palm oil fundamentals and price outlook. He anticipates CPO prices to range between RM4,080 and RM4,200 per tonne in the upcoming week.

Meanwhile, Interband Group of Companies senior palm oil trader Jim Teh predicts physical demand for CPO to rise from China ahead of the Chinese New Year, alongside demand from India, Pakistan, the Middle East, the European Union, and the United States. As a result, he forecasts the CPO price to be between RM3,800 and RM3,950 per tonne.

On a Friday-to-Friday basis, fluctuations in CPO contracts were observed. The February 2026 contract saw a decline of RM78 to RM4,082 per tonne, March 2026 slipped RM88 to RM4,121 per tonne, and April 2026 slid RM75 to RM4,154 per tonne. The May 2026 contract weakened by RM65 to RM4,163 per tonne, June 2026 was RM55 lower at RM4,158 per tonne, and July 2026 decreased by RM44 to RM4,150 per tonne.

The weekly trading volume decreased to 274,729 lots from 455,274 lots the previous week, while open interest slightly eased to 219,059 contracts from 220,712 contracts previously. The new physical CPO price for January South was noted to be lower by RM70, settling at RM4,130 a tonne.