Monday, October 13, 2008

Trader's Comment: CPO futures ended generally higher due to regional equities recovery and crude oil rebounds

Recovery in regional equity market coupled with crude oil also bouncing back to trade above USD80.00 per barrel prompted short covering and speculative buying activities led CPO futures to finish generally higher. Earlier, the market started with easier tone tracking limit down closed in soy complex in last Friday. However, prices begin to stabilise after bargain hunting buying interest at lower end. Recovery in regional equities market coupled with news that Malaysia will raise the CPO export quota to 3 million tonnes from 2 million currently helped to lift the market sentiment. Commodities Minister, Peter Chin also said plans to push on biodiesel mandate on 21st Oct 2008 had further underpinned the market. Benchmark Dec08 price was push to intra-day high at 1836 and settled RM62 higher at 1835.

FKLI Daily: technical rebound


FKLI rebounded and recovered from last friday sell down. Market fully covered the upside gap left over on 10 Oct, 2008 at 950.0-964.5 with printed a long lower shadow candle. Technical rebound may continue if more support confirmation after this. Thus, we look at the support at 928.5. For upside, resistance at 980-985.

Breaking News-RTRS-Malaysia lays out plans to stem palm oil dive

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 - Malaysia, the world's second-largest producer of palm oil, laid out plans for a slew of new measures meant to stem the sharp fall in vegetable oil prices by cutting back near record-high inventories.
Malaysian palm oil prices have more than halved since July and fallen by two-thirds from their record high in March due to a knock-out combination of swelling stocks and slowing demand that have been heightened by a weakening global economy.
To help shore up the market, Malaysia may raise its quota on exports of crude palm oil by 50 percent, revive a long-stalled mandate to blend biofuel into all road diesel and encourage plantations to renew older crops rather than expand into new lands while prices are low, said Commodities Minister Peter Chin.

Breaking News-RTRS-Malaysia lifts annual palm oil export quota

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Malaysia, the world's second largest producer of palm oil, has raised its annual export quota for crude palm oil to 3 million tonnes from 2 million, Commodities Minister Peter Chin said on Monday.
Prices of the tropical oil tumbled more than 60 percent so far this year thanks to a knock-out combination of swelling stocks, slowing demand that have been heightened by a weakening global economy.

Breaking News-RTRS-U.S. stock futures rise on bank rescue plan

NEW YORK, Oct 12 (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures rose on Sunday evening as central bankers and government leaders took steps to solve the financial crisis that has been crippling global markets.
S&P 500 futures rose 29.8 points. Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 252 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 31.25 points.

Breaking News-RTRS-British banks set for 40 bln stg rescue-source

LONDON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Britain could pump more than 40 billion pounds ($69 billion) into four troubled major banks and take big stakes as part of a recapitalisation due to be unveiled on Monday, sources familiar with the situation said.
Royal Bank of Scotland, HBOS, Lloyds TSB and Barclays were in line to receive the billions of pounds from investors and taxpayers to boost their capital to prepare them for tough economic times ahead, said the sources, declining to be named.

Trader's Highlight

DJI-NEW YORK, Oct 10 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks tumbled in a turbulent session on Friday, as panicked investors dumped stocks in a global sell-off on mounting fears that frozen credit markets would push the world into recession.

Uncertainty about what steps the finance chiefs of the world's major economies will take over the weekend to confront the financial crisis further fueled the market's anxiety. Stocks added to losses after a G7 official said the Group of Seven major nations is unlikely to adopt Britain's proposal to guarantee lending between banks when it meets on Friday.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 482.83 points, or 5.63 percent, to 8,096.36. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> slid 60.19 points, or 6.61 percent, to 849.73, close to its levels in October 2002. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 85.89 points, or 5.22 percent, at 1,559.23, near its levels in June 2002.

NYMEX-NEW YORK, Oct 10 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures ended down more than 10 percent on Friday to mark the lowest settlement since September 2007 as Wall Street tumbled on growing fears that tighter credit could spark a global recession.

Oil investors were not reassured even as President George W. Bush said the U.S. government was moving aggressively to address the financial markets crisis

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, November crude settled down $8.89, or 10.27 percent, at $77.70 a barrel, the lowest settlement since prices ended at $77.49 on Sept. 10, 2007. It traded from $77.09, lowest since $76.92 on Sept. 11, 2007, to $85.13. Prices, which hit a record $147.27 on July 11, have fallen in seven of the last eight sessions.

CBOT-SOYBEANS - November down the 70-cent limit at $9.10 per bushel, January down 70 at $9.25-1/2.

Nearby months limit-down on weak global stock markets and bearish U.S. soy production and ending stocks data in USDA's October supply/demand reports.

USDA projected 2008/09 U.S. soy ending stocks at 220 million bushels, above an average of analysts' estimates for 187 million and USDA's September forecast for 135 million.

USDA pegged 2008 U.S. soy production at 2.983 billion bushels, above an average of analysts' estimates for 2.922 billion and USDA's September forecast for 2.934 billion.

SOYOIL - October down 2.95 cents to 36.49 cents per lb, December down the 2.50-cent limit to 37.29 cents.

Most contracts fall 2.50-cent limit, following soybeans,weak global stocks and falling crude oil. No limit in October,which is in delivery.

FCPO-KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Asian vegetable oil markets plummeted on Friday as panicky investors unwound positions amid growing fears of global recession that slows demand and adds to already ballooning stockpiles.

Dalian soyoil futures <0#BBY:> dived by their limit down while Malaysian crude palm oil futures tumbled 8.7 percent . Chicago soyoil <0#BO:> was also caught in the sell-off during Asian trading hours.

The benchmark December palm contract on Bursa Malaysia's Derivatives Exchange tumbled as much as 165 ringgit to 1,725 ringgit ($491), a level unseen since Nov. 15, 2006. January 2009 Dalian soyoil fell 358 yuan to 6,810 yuan ($996) a tonne.

REGIONAL EQUITIES-SINGAPORE, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian stock markets plunged to multiyear lows, tracking global markets reeling from the tightening grip of the credit crisis, while Indonesia
decided to sit out the turmoil for a third straight day.

Europe joined Asia's panic selling in stocks, knocking the benchmark world equity index to a five-year trough as fears grew that efforts by policymakers are insufficient to contain the global financial crisis.

Malaysian stocks <.KLSE> declined 3.6 percent, while Vietnam <.VNI> lost 4.7 percent.
Philippine stocks <.PSI> closed down 8.3 percent. Thai stocks <.SETI> fell over 10 percent to trigger a temporary trading halt, before closing down 9.6 percent

In Singapore, the Straits Times Index <.FTSTI> fell 7.3 percent to its lowest close since December 2004 as the city-state sunk into its first recession in six years,
government estimates showed.