Palm oil prices are around two-year highs at $722 a tonne as output in Malaysia, a key market for the commodity, declined 2% in October.Shares in UK-quoted producers Dekeloil (DKL:AIM) and REA Holdings (RE.) have both been boosted by the news while MP Evans (MPE) saw a takeover offer from Kuala Lumpur Kepong increased to 740p a share on 15 November.Both that offer and a previous 640p bid have...

Mainstream discussions of commodity prices tend to be dominated by energy and metals markets which have been under severe pressure in 2015. Amid all the negative commentary it might surprise you to learn there is a commodity which has actually appreciated in value year-to-date.Cocoa - the crop from which chocolate is derived - is up around 6% so far in 2015 thanks to a combination of...

UK shares take another battering in early trade on Wednesday with the benchmark FTSE 100 index plunging back below the 6,000 mark before staging the most modest of rallies. The FTSE 100 had rebounded on Tuesday after 10 days of declines as the People's Bank of China cut interest rates for the fifth time since November. But the effect was limited.In the US overnight, the Dow opened ahead but...

A growing global population needs feeding, and the stock market is home to a slew of firms plugged into this trend. Among them are the quoted plantation companies, sitting within the Food Producers sector, whose agricultural assets can have great strategic value for bigger plantations players. Profits can grow sharply, though patience is required while estates are developed and crops...