Dalian soyabeans end down: Dalian soyabean futures closed down across the board on Monday on long liquidation and sporadic short-selling as retail investors buckled under prolonged weak sentiment, traders said. The key September 1998 contract ended at 2,434 yuan ($294)per tonne, falling 31 yuan compared with Friday's close. It opened at an intraday high of 2,470 and hit a low of 2,429. "The continued losses have made the longs unwilling to hold positions for a long period, so they were seen offsetting their positions for short-term profits," one trader said.

Malaysian palm oil exports up: Cargo surveyor Societe Generale de Surveillance(SGS) Malaysia Sdn Bhd said on Monday it estimated Malaysia's palm oil exports for April 1 to 20 at 475,869 tonnes compared with 437,706 tonnes for March 1 to 20.

Government warns traders: Government has warned traders against fuelling an increase in domestic edible oil prices by making `alarmist' statements about an impending shortage. It said it won't hesitate to re-impose stockholding limits on traders if prices rise to abnormally high levels. In a statement released over the weekend, the government noted that domestic edible oil prices had risen over the past four months, and said `there are no fundamental reasons for this perceptible increase in prices.' It added: "Current assessments of the production of edible oils in the country in the 1997-98 oil season indicate that the (supply) deficit will not be greater than in the previous year." The 1997-98 vegetable oil year ends October 1. The statement didn't provide any figures for estimated edible oil production and demand in India during1997-98.

Indonesian rubber flat: Indonesian rubber prices were flat in late trading on Monday amid a lack of buying interest, traders said. "It is quiet today in the market. I last sold June rubber at 32.50 (US cents/lb) on Thursday. Buyers are still looking around for prices, but no deals were done," said one trader in Palembang, South Sumatra. The trader said he sold 160 tonnes of rubber to US buyers on Thursday. Traders said supplies were abundant in Thailand and prices cheaper there. "I think this is the reason why sentiment is still bearish in the Indonesian market," said one trader. Traders said June SIR20 was being offered at 33.00 US cents/lb fob Medan, 32.75 fob Surabaya, 32.50 fob Palembang and Jambi and 32.50 fob Pontianak.

Indonesian coffee prices stable: Indonesian coffee prices were mostly stable on Monday as the fate of the rupiah retained the market's Prime attention, traders said. "I think the trend is similar to last week's. What we do now is monitor the rupiah's movement.We still pay attention to news from London, but the currency is the main issue," said one Jakarta trader. Traders said grade four robusta beans were quoted on Monday at 13,500/14,000 rupiah/kg, unchanged from last week. "Trading activities run as normal, but everybody is doing business slowly because the rupiah is not stable yet. There is no need to be in a hurry," said another trader. The rupiah was quoted at 7,900/8,100 rupiah against the dollar at 0655 GMT. Traders said Indonesian coffee prices were expected toremain firm until June or July when the harvest on Sumatra would see prices fall. Low rainfall because of the El Nino weather phenomenon had seen the coffee trade scale back crop forecasts, with 1998 production expected to be 330,000 tonnes, about the same as the last year's drought-scarred harvest.

Tokyo rubber ends higher: Tokyo rubber futures ended firmer across the board on Monday, amid expectations the spot April contract would expire at a higher price on April 23, traders said. Pricesranged from 1.8 yen to 2.9 yen per kg firmer. Benchmark September finished 2.0 yen higher at 103.5 yen. Activity was lacklustre ahead of the spot expiry this week,with trading spurred mainly by technical factors. "Expectations for a small number of deliveries at the spotexpiry this week have made market players wary of selling at current levels," an analyst at a commodity broker said.

Asian rubber steady: Asian physical rubber prices are little changed Monday, with some buying interest heard for the Standard Indonesian Rubber 20 Constant Viscosity grade, rubber traders said. In Indonesia, the benchmark SIR20 for June delivery is heard offered at 75.00 cents per kilogram, compared with 74.50 cents/kg on Friday, traders said. "The market is still very weak," said a Medan-based trader. "But the wintering period is causing tight supply at the same time." The wintering period, when latex yields fall, runs from February through May. Some trades were done for SIR20 CV at 77.28 cents/kg from Medan to Europe,due to emerging demand, according to the Medan-based trader. Constant-viscosity rubber is usually used in the manufacture of industrial tapes and the side walls of airplane and automobile tires - products which require a high level of rubber viscosity. The Thai benchmark RSS3 for August delivery is offered unchanged at 77.00 cents/kg, traders said. Bids were heard for August RSS3 at 74.00-75.00 cents/kg. `Nobody is calling for nearbys. Most people are interested in forward months," said a trader based in Yala, southern Thailand.

Japanese aluminium imports up: Japanese aluminium and alloy imports climbed 11.0 per cent in March from the same month last year, while copper and alloy imports plunged 26.6 per cent, the finance ministry said on Monday.

Tokyo palladium ends higher: Palladium futures for delivery in May, June and August ended up by their daily limit of 36 yen per gram, following the surge in nearby April. "Operators with short positions in the April contract rushed to cover theirpositions due to renewed uncertainty over Russia," one trader said. The April contract will expire on Tocom on April 24. Most operators with short positions will need to cover their positions ahead of expiry, adding further upward pressure on prices, traders said.

Yemen's crude production to rise: Yemen's crude oil production capacity is set to reach 430,000 barrels a day by the end of the year, the weekly Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) said Monday, citing the director general of the Yemen Oil and Gas Corp. The increases will come mainly from the Janna field, output from which is expected to rise to 75,000 b/d by year's end, and Total's East Shabwa field, which is set to boost production to 30,000 b/d, MEES said, adding the increases would both add to capacity and offset the gradual decline of the Marib field. The Yemeni official projected oil and gas income would provide 70 per cent of the country's revenue. That's an increase from 61 per cent in 1996 and 32 per cent in 1995.

IOC not toaward cargoes: Government-owned Indian oil Corp (IOC) will not award any cargoes for its superior kerosene one-year term tender from June 1998 to May 1999, traders said on Monday. The tender which called for a 30,000-tonne cargo per month for delivery to Bombay/Kandla on the West coast and 40,000-45,000-tonne cargo per month to Madras/Haldia, closed on April 16 and was valid until April 18.

NWE oil products steady: NWE oil product barge prices remained unchanged in light early Monday action. High sulphur fuel barges were quoted between about $81 and$82.50 a tonne, traders said, as buyers backed out of the market following last week's gains. "I think we should see some downward pressure. There's plenty of fuel around," one trader said, pointing to the expected arrival of Russian fuel oil to Western Europe in about three weeks. Gasoline and gas oil prices sat unchanged from levels seen late last week, with few players venturing into the market early Monday.

Australian wool marketuncertain: The Australian wool market's outlook is uncertain as buyers wait for new orders, pastoral group Wesfarmers Dalgety Ltd said.

(Compiled from Reuters)