The crude palm oil (CPO) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives closed lower on Wednesday, owing to weakness in the soybean oil futures on the Chicago Board of Trade and lower crude oil prices.

Palm oil trader David Ng told Bernama that the weaker market sentiment, however, was limited by the expectation of a stronger demand in the coming weeks.

CPO futures ends lower amid weaker soybean oil futures, oil prices

The crude palm oil (CPO) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives closed weaker on Monday due to concerns over the rising output of the commodity, coupled with weaker demand.

Palm oil trader David Ng said the expectation of lower demand post-festivity weighed on sentiment despite the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) reporting lower stock levels last month.

CPO futures end lower due to concerns over rising output, weaker demand

Aluminium surged by a record on the London Metal Exchange (LME) as traders responded to new US and UK sanctions that banned deliveries of Russian supplies produced after midnight on Friday.

Metals spike as sanctions on new Russian supplies rattle LME

An unprecedented squeeze in the market for copper ore has fired up bullish investors and helped drive prices to the highest in nearly two years.

The market for semi-processed copper ore, known as concentrates, has never been as tight as now, according to several veteran traders with decades of experience. Across the market, traders and smelters are paying roughly the same price for copper ore as the copper contained in it would fetch once processed — a highly unusual situation that points to a shortage of immediately available supplies.

An eye-watering squeeze in copper ore is firing up the bulls

Crude palm oil futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives closed lower, following the weakness of soybean oil futures on Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT).

The CBOT’s soy oil futures fell 0.4% on Friday.

CPO futures end lower, in line with CBOT soybean oil weakness

Copper continued its upwards charge, hitting the highest level since June 2022 as investors bet that curtailed ore supply will struggle to keep up with resurgent global demand.

Copper rally continues with surge to highest in 22 months

Iron ore headed for its best week in two years on speculation that China’s economy may be on the mend, buoying the outlook for demand.

Futures in Singapore — which touched as much as US$111 (RM526.73) a tonne on Friday — are up nearly 13% this week, the best showing since March 2022.

Iron ore powers to best week in two years on China growth outlook

Shanghai aluminium rose on Friday to its highest in nearly two years, as funds pumped money into commodities including metals to hedge against rising inflation.

Shanghai aluminium hits two-year high, set for seventh weekly gain

Global rice prices are expected to stay elevated throughout 2024 amid sustained market tightness due to unfavourable weather and export restrictions from India, BMI said on Friday.

Rice prices may stay elevated in 2024 amid global market tightness, says BMI

Cocoa futures rallied for a fifth day as expected tighter supplies in the coming months push prices to near record levels.

Cocoa prices climb for fifth day as tight supply pain lingers

Ghana is in talks with traders to postpone the delivery of at least 150,000 to 250,000 tons of cocoa until next season due to a lack of beans, in the latest sign of how a supply crunch is roiling the global market.

Ghana seeks to delay cocoa deliveries due to lack of beans

Tin prices in London rose on Wednesday to hit their highest level in more than a year, as stockpiles fell to the lowest in nine months, while short-covering across base metals also lent support.

Benchmark three-month tin on the London Metal Exchange (LME) rose 4.4% to US$32,530 (RM154,420) per metric ton by 0830 GMT. The contract had climbed to US$32,745 earlier in the session, its highest since June 2022.

Tin hits highest since June 2022 on falling stocks, short covering; copper extends gain

Arabica futures were little changed near their highest level since October 2022 as hedge funds exiting the cocoa market are now piling into coffee.
 
Money managers increased their bullish bets to the highest on record in the week ended April 2, according to the latest Commodity Futures Trading Commission data.

Arabica coffee steady near 18-month high as cocoa frenzy spreads

The sharp rise in cocoa bean prices could lead to higher borrowing and leverage for cocoa grinders Guan Chong Bhd and JB Cocoa Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore's JB Foods, according to MARC Ratings.

Cocoa price surge may increase borrowing and leverage for Guan Chong, JB Cocoa — MARC

The Malaysian aviation industry may be badly impacted on passenger traffic and spikes in jet fuel prices if a full-blown war results from escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, according to Maybank Investment Bank Research (Maybank IB).

Malaysia's aviation industry at risk amid full-blown crisis in the Middle East — Maybank IB

Alphabet Inc’s Google has put more than two dozen employees on immediate administrative leave after they were involved in protests against Project Nimbus, a US$1.2 billion (RM5.7 billion) joint contract with Amazon.com Inc to provide the Israeli government with AI and cloud services.

Google suspends workers protesting US$1.2b Israeli contract   

Business confidence at big Japanese manufacturers and services sector firms slid in April from the prior month, dragged down by cost-of-living pressures and shaky economic conditions in major market China, a Reuters monthly poll showed.

Japan firms' business mood slips as weak yen squeezes households

Australian employment unexpectedly fell in March and the jobless rate rose, unwinding some of the huge upside surprise of the prior month and reflecting restrictive settings of monetary policy.

Australian employment drops, sending jobless rate up to 3.8%

Asian stocks crept higher in a mixed session on Thursday, while the dollar took a breather and bond markets steadied as investors stepped back to assess the interest rate outlook.

Asian stocks mixed as soaring dollar pauses

Shares of PIE Industrial Bhd extended its rally to a new all-time high on Thursday, after Kenanga Investment Bank flagged that the electronic services firm has secured a new client that will take up the entirety of its largest facility.

PIE Industrial extends rally to new all-time high as Kenanga flags new client

Bursa Malaysia opened slightly lower on Thursday but moved up thereafter.

Bursa turns positive in early trade after opening lower

Research analysts covering IGB Real Estate Investment Trust (IGB REIT) remained sanguine on the stock’s prospects after it reported a 4.79% jump in its net property income (NPI) for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024 (1QFY2024) to RM124.24 million, from RM118.55 million a year earlier, thanks largely to higher rental income.

Analysts remain sanguine on IGB REIT’s prospects going forward

Indonesia's economy was primed for monetary easing later this year, but an unwelcome plunge in its currency is complicating matters for Bank Indonesia and could force it to grudgingly raise rates as early as next week.

Indonesia's plunging rupiah twists the policy plot

The ringgit extended Wednesday’s gains to open higher against the US dollar on Thursday as the greenback retreated from multi-month highs after a pullback in US Treasury yields, said an analyst.

Ringgit extends gains against US dollar at opening

Shares of PIE Industrial Bhd extended its rally to a new all-time high on Thursday, after Kenanga Investment Bank flagged that the electronic services firm has secured a new client that will take up the entirety of its largest facility.

President Joe Biden called China “xenophobic” while highlighting the Asian nation’s economic woes, as he sought to make the case for US economic strength during a campaign stop in the swing state of Pennsylvania.

Biden calls China ‘xenophobic’, ramping up 2024 campaign rhetoric

The Unity Government Leadership Consultative Council meeting agreed that the government must act firmly and not compromise against extreme actions that can jeopardise the country’s stability.

Unity Government Secretariat chief Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the matter was decided at Wednesday’s Unity Government Leadership Consultative Council meeting at Seri Perdana, Putrajaya.

Unity Govt meeting: No compromise on extreme actions that can jeopardise country’s stability

Asian stocks crept higher in a mixed session on Thursday, while the dollar took a breather and bond markets steadied as investors stepped back to assess the interest rate outlook.

Sabah has lost an experienced and exceptional leader with the passing of Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) founder Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, says Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

Expressing sympathy and condolences to the late leader's family, Hajiji said he had worked alongside Joseph as an assistant minister in the Sabah Ministry of Industrial Development in 1994, earning a deep respect for the veteran Sabah leader.

Sabah lost an exceptional leader with Joseph Kurup's passing — Hajiji

Alphabet-owned Google&nbsp;is laying off an unspecified number of employees, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday, marking the latest cuts at the technology giant as it cracks down on costs.

Google lays off employees, shifts some roles abroad amid cost cuts

The stock market saw its longest losing streak since January as a handful of big techs sold off — despite a slide in bond yields.

S&P 500 suffers its longest slide since January

Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) research said Cloudpoint Technology Bhd is well positioned to capitalise the burgeoning demand for cyber security solutions post-passage of the cyber security bill which was passed in Dewan Rakyat on April 3.

HLIB: Cloudpoint well positioned to capitalise burgeoning demand for cyber security solutions

The crude palm oil (CPO) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives closed lower on Wednesday, owing to weakness in the soybean oil futures on the Chicago Board of Trade and lower crude oil prices.

Palm oil trader David Ng told Bernama that the weaker market sentiment, however, was limited by the expectation of a stronger demand in the coming weeks.

Alphabet Inc’s Google has put more than two dozen employees on immediate administrative leave after they were involved in protests against Project Nimbus, a US$1.2 billion (RM5.7 billion) joint contract with Amazon.com Inc to provide the Israeli government with AI and cloud services.

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland president Loretta Mester said monetary policy is in a good place, adding that the central bank shouldn’t be in a hurry to cut interest rates.

Mester says US Fed can hold rates steady, not in a hurry to cut

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed his condolences to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Securities Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup and his family on the demise of his father, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup on Wednesday.

PM extends condolences to family of Joseph Kurup

A woman brought a 68-year-old man in a wheelchair into a bank branch and tried to get him to sign for a loan, but he had been dead for hours, Brazilian police said on Wednesday.

Erika Vieira Nunes wheeled the cadaver into the bank in a Rio suburb on Tuesday and told the teller the man wanted a loan for 17,000 reais (US$3,250), security camera video showed.

Woman wheels corpse into Brazil bank to sign for loan

Research analysts covering IGB Real Estate Investment Trust (IGB REIT) remained sanguine on the stock’s prospects after it reported a 4.79% jump in its net property income (NPI) for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024 (1QFY2024) to RM124.24 million, from RM118.55 million a year earlier, thanks largely to higher rental income.

Asian central banks’ need for assertive defense of their currencies is driving traders to turn less dovish on monetary policies in the region.

Slower US Fed pivot weakens rate-cut bets across emerging Asia

United Airlines will receive compensation from planemaker Boeing for financial damages incurred in the first quarter due to the grounding of 737 MAX 9 aircraft, the carrier said on Wednesday.

United Airlines says Boeing to compensate for damages caused by MAX 9 grounding

Asian countries probably don't want it and they certainly didn't cause it, but a 'beggar thy neighbour' wave of exchange rate depreciation may be about to hit the continent.

If not a full-blown currency war, then a series of skirmishes is looming as policymakers grapple with a resurgent US dollar, a fragmented G10 central bank policy path, and a staggering slump in the Japanese yen which appears to have Tokyo's tacit approval.

Asia braces for unwanted, but unavoidable FX battle

RHB Retail Research said Marine &amp; General Bhd is set for an uptrend reversal after undergoing a bullish breakout above the 28 sen resistance on Wednesday, on strong trading volume.

Marine & General set for uptrend reversal, says RHB Retail Research 

Federal jurors in New York heard sharply contrasting arguments on whether a trader manipulated the Mango Markets cryptocurrency exchange to steal US$110 million (RM527.1 million) or executed a perfectly legal strategy that was permissible under the rules of the platform. &nbsp;

Crypto trader’s US$110m manipulation case now with jury

Indonesia's economy was primed for monetary easing later this year, but an unwelcome plunge in its currency is complicating matters for Bank Indonesia and could force it to grudgingly raise rates as early as next week.

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