Year of the Rooster seen waking up China's demand for palm oil

Kuala Lumpur

AS China welcomes the Year of the Rooster this week, bets that a recovery in Asian palm oil production will drive prices lower may be something for consumers to crow about.

While high prices may keep Chinese buyers on the sidelines in the first part of the new year, an expected surge in supply later in 2017 in the world's top producers will drive a jump in purchases as prices decline, according to analysts and traders.