KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Reuters) - The following factors are likely to influence Malaysian palm oil futures and other vegetable oil markets.
FUNDAMENTALS * Malaysian palm oil futures slipped to the lowest in two weeks on Friday to record a fourth straight quarterly drop, after data showed higher-than-expected U.S. soybean stockpiles. * U.S. corn futures dropped more than 5 percent for their biggest daily loss since May on Thursday after a government crop report showed the stockpile of the grain larger than analysts expected. * Crude futures rose on Thursday, the last session of the first quarter, in choppy trading with stronger Wall Street equities and a weaker dollar supporting dollar-denominated oil prices. MARKET NEWS * Whether the world's largest economy can sustain momentum will be a primary focus for investors for the next three months after a general recovery trend in the United States helped risk sentiment for broad markets in the first quarter of 2013. * Natural gas and cotton prices fell on Thursday but posted quarterly double-digit percentage gains to lead commodities higher in the first three moths, as U.S. markets wrapped up trading for March ahead of the Good Friday holiday.
RELATED NEWS > US corn slides to 9-month low on higher stocks > Speculators raise corn, soybean net long positions-CFTC DATA/EVENTS > Cargo surveyors to release Malaysia's March export data on Monday. Key commodity markets at 0008 GMT Contract Month Last Change Low High Volume RINGGIT/USD 3.094 +0.00 3.096 3.094 CHINA PALM OLEIN SEP3 0 +0.00 0 0 0 CHINA SOYOIL SEP3 0 +0.00 0 0 0 CBOT SOYOIL MAY3 50.18 +0.07 49.81 50.23 2351 NYMEX CRUDE MAY3 97.17 -0.06 97.11 97.80 5376 CBOT soy oil in U.S. cents per pound Dalian soy oil in Chinese yuan per tonne Crude in U.S. dollars per barrel Vegetable oils -- Malaysian palm oil exports -- CBOT soyoil futures -- CBOT soybean futures -- Indian solvent -- Weekly Indian vegetable oils -- Dalian Commodity Exchange -- Dalian soyoil futures -- Dalian refined palm oil futures -- Zhengzhou rapeseed oil -- European edible oil prices/trades -- (Reporting by the Kuala Lumpur bureau)
