Kuala lumpur: The crude palm oil (CPO) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives (BMD) ended higher on Friday, buoyed by stronger export performance as outlined by cargo surveyors, said palm oil trader David Ng.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, cargo surveyors Intertek Testing Services (ITS) and Amspec reported that exports for the first half of August rose by 16 percent and 21 percent, respectively, compared with the same period in July. However, Ng mentioned that the expectation of rising output in the coming weeks is weighing down on sentiments.

Ng indicated that prices are supported at RM4,380 per tonne and face resistance at RM4,500 per tonne. Meanwhile, Anilkumar Bagani, the commodity research head at the Mumbai-based Sunvin Group, noted that Malaysia's strong August palm oil export, along with a resurgence in Chinese demand, has supported palm oil prices today, despite the bearish overnight soybean oil market on the Chicago Board of Trade.

At the close, spot-month August 2025 was unchanged at RM4,338 per tonne, September 2025 rose RM67 to RM4,425 per tonne, and October 2025 increased RM69 to RM4,472 per tonne. The November 2025 contract rose by RM75 to RM4,511 per tonne, December 2025 expanded by RM78 to RM4,528 per tonne, and January 2026 climbed RM75 to RM4,526 per tonne.

Trading volume slid to 81,890 lots from 88,920 lots on Thursday, while open interest rose to 249,718 contracts from 244,194 contracts previously. The physical CPO price for August South gained RM30 to RM4,400 per tonne.