Kuala lumpur: Crude palm oil (CPO) futures on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives closed lower on Monday, attributed to the weaker export performance as the stronger ringgit weighed on demand from key importing countries, a trader said. Iceberg X Sdn Bhd proprietary trader David Ng noted that the firmer local currency dampened buying interest and slowed the shipment pace.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysia's palm oil export performance from February 1 to February 20, 2026, affected CPO prices. Anilkumar Bagani, Mumbai-based Sunvin Group commodity research head, reported that Malaysia's palm oil exports for this period were estimated by Intertek Testing Services (ITS) at 863,358 tonnes, down 8.92 per cent, and by AmSpec at 779,834 tonnes, down 12.62 per cent from their respective export estimates for the January 1 to January 20, 2026 period.

Bagani added that sentiment was also weighed down by the continuation of the downside momentum from Friday following a long liquidation in Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) soybean oil futures. At the close, the March 2026 contract fell RM12 to RM4,051 per tonne, April 2026 edged down RM6 to RM4,081, and May 2026 declined RM9 to RM4,083.

The June 2026 contract slipped RM14 to RM4,082 per tonne, while July 2026 and August 2026 lost RM26 to RM4,074 and RM4,073 respectively. Trading volume dropped to 62,122 lots from 81,717 on Friday, while open interest decreased to 221,427 contracts from 228,011 previously. The physical CPO price for March South remained unchanged at RM4,100 per tonne.