KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's palm oil stockpile at the end of July likely expanded to its highest in 10 months, as a drop in exports offset a decline in production, a Reuters survey showed on Thursday. Inventories in the world's second-largest palm oil producer are seen rising for a fifth month, up 1.6% to 1.64 million tonnes from June, according to the median estimate of nine planters, traders and analysts polled by Reuters. Production is pegged to fall for the first time in five months, defying ho

KUALA LUMPUR: Merger and acquisition( MA) activities in the plantations sector are expected to continue, underpinned by the high price of crude palm oil( CPO) and undervaluation of small and mid( SMID) cap companies.“ Undervalued SMID caps such as Boustead Plantations Bhd and Hap Seng Plantations Holdings Bhd will continue to be potential MA and/ or privatisation targets, ” said Maybank Investment Bank Research in a note yesterday. The brokerage noted that Boustead Plantations is trading at just