Among oilseeds, mustard laha firmed up by Rs 25 a quintal as arrivals at local Lawrence Road plummeted to 7000 bags from 8000-10,000 bags.

Mumbai: Groundnut oil fell below Rs 400-level on the oil,oilseeds market here today. Castorseed and its oil on the other hand advanced sharply as spurt in dollar value prompted fresh overseas buying.

Groundnut oil slipped from Rs 404 to Rs 398 per 10 kg on brisk summer crop arrivals. In Rajkot prices fell from Rs 620/625 to Rs 615 per 15 kg.

Imported palm oil however recovered from Rs 295 to Rs 301 per 10 kg. Firm dollar value influenced the global market sentiment, dealers said. Late in the evening in the kerb deal there was further rise in the prices at Rs 308/310 per 10 kg. In the global market palm oil placed $5/$10 higher at $540 per tonne for nearby delivery and $525 per tonne for long delivery.

China bought about 1 lakh tonne in the global market which prompted fresh rally in the prices.

Castor oil looked up by Rs 2 to Rs 350/364 per 10 kg as renewed overseas demand triggered covering by shippers. Castorseed ready was up by Rs 10 to Rs 1578/1584 per quintal in sympathy.

In the futures section castorseed June delivery opened firm at Rs 1,603 as against Rs 1,573 and settled down at Rs 1,593 per quintal. In Ahmedabad June delivery finished at Rs 1,548 and in Rajkot at Rs 1,549 per quintal.

Silver coins static
Both the precious metals, at the local bullion market, showed signs of improvement on Monday.

Though silver on the overseas market ruled easy at 515 cents an ounce, yet, spot silver .999 fineness firmed up by Rs 20 at Rs 7760 a kg as there was no inflow of imported silver since last Friday. Silver weekly delivery, on speculative buying, edged up by Rs 15 at Rs 7755 a kg.

Silver coins remained unchanged at Rs 10,500-10,700 per 100 pieces.

Despite weak overseas advices, gold biscuit and standard mint gold marked up by Rs 10 at Rs 4370 and Rs 4380 per 10 gram, respectively because of firm dollar vis-a-vis Indian rupee. Demand in gold from local as well as upcountry buyers remained good.

Mumbai: Gold and silver prices hardened on the bullion market here today. Global advices however remained static but political uncertainty at Centre and upsurge in dollar value against rupee triggered buoyancy in the bullion market, according to traders.

Standard gold moved up by Rs 20 to Rs 4,440 per 10 gm. Gold .22 carat was up by same margin at Rs 4,110 per 10 gm. Prices of gold biscuit (116.50 gm.) lifted by Rs 200 to Rs 52,000 per piece. Seasonal demand for gold was slow and tight overseas supplies coupled with firm dollar value kept offerings restricted. In the global market gold ruled subdued at $283.20 per ounce.

Silver .999 was up by Rs 25 to Rs 7,930 per kg. Silver .916 was moved up by Rs 30 to Rs 7,810 per kg. Stray industrial buying influenced the upsurge in silver. However speculators were major players amidst shortage of ready stock, poor supplies and higher Delhi advices were also attributed to the rise. The volume of silver trading was about 190/200 kg today. In the global market the white metal ruled quiet at $5.16 per ounce.

Almond falls
Poppyseed firmed up by Rs 5-12 a kg on higher producing mandies advices, as arrival of new crop poppyseeds in the mandies was poor. Demand in poppyseed during summer from `Thandai' manufacturers rules strong. Nutmeg marked up by Rs 5 a kg due to poor import from Singapore while cloves and cinnamon ruled easy.

Among dry fruits, almond California suffered a sharp fall of Rs 200 per 40 kg and its kernel slipped by Rs 4-5 a kg because of mutual buying and selling among the speculators. Small grain cashew kernel No. 320 slipped by Rs 10 a kgas inflow of new cashew kernel is expected shortly.

Superior malka masoor declines
Prices, at the local grains and pulses market moved in a narrow range on Monday.

Wheat dara, on scattered demand from flour millers, improved by Rs 2 a quintal as daily arrival from the neighbouring states plummeted to Rs 8-10,000 bags. Suji firmed up by Rs 5 per bag on good wedding demand while maida dipped by Rs 10-15 per bag on selling pressure.

Demand in coarse grains from industrial consumers remained poor. Stockists selling was reported in maize, jowar and bajra. Oats ruled firm at their previous close on reports of poor crop prospects. Superior malka masoor slumped by Rs 50 at Rs 2350 a quintal due to sluggish demand and small masoor slipped by Rs 10 a quintal due to poor offtake.Gram also ruled easy due to lack of buying by the stockists.

Sugar sluggish
Speculators were offering sugar at prices lower than those quoted by the millers. Mill delivery sugar Mawana was traded at Rs 1540, Simbhauli at Rs 1420, Kashipur at Rs 1397 and tax-paid Dhampur and Devband at Rs 1500 a quintal. Old sugar stock in the mills was reported to have been exhausted. New mill delivery sgar Bajpur at low was quoted at Rs 1335-1340 a quintal.

Menthol flake rises
Excess ready inventories and decreased consuming units buying pulled down press and slackes wax in the local market by Rs 500-1000 at Rs 23,500 and Rs 16,500 per tonne. Soda ash as well slipped by Rs 10-20 at Rs 790-840 per bag due to more than required arrivals.

Soda ash of China in 40 kg packing was sold at Rs 435 per bag. Bombay Dyeing citric acid commenced around 5 tonnes in the local market and was pegged at Rs 5200 per 50 kg. However, Chinese variety was quoting far lower as Rs 3550 per 50 kg.

In menthol section, high prices reports from Uttar Pradesh and mutual trading provided for the sentiment and menthol flake and bold rose by Rs 8-10 at Rs 478 and Rs 510 per kg. Mentha oil and DMO also moved up by Rs 9-10 per kg. Thymol setted Rs 2 per kg. Nickel plate easy Copper utensil, mixed scrap and wire scrap moved up by Rs 1.50 at Rs 87.50 and Rs 97.50-99.50 per kg due to slack ready inventories and improved consuming industries demand. Copper wire bar, rod and its wire as well registered rise of 50 paise per kg.

On the other hand, nickel plate (4x4 and 4x24) of Inco fell by Rs 5-7 at Rs 350 and Rs 353 per kg depressed by 25 tonnes arrivals. Zinc dross, chadripital and antymony were down by 25 paise to Re one per kg due to sluggish offtake.

Other non-ferrous metals remained featureless and unchanged at their previous close in thin trading.