Malaysian palm oil futures rose slightly on Friday, driven by stronger Chicago soyoil, but are set to mark a second consecutive weekly decline. The benchmark palm oil contract for March delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange rose 1.05% to RM4,341 (US$966.17) a metric ton at midday. However, the rise was capped by expectations of a decrease in the Indonesian palm oil reference price for February, uncertainty over the success of Indonesia's B40 biodiesel mandate, and weak Dalian palm olein futures. Meanwhile, Malaysia's palm oil stocks have fallen for the third consecutive month, with a decrease of 6.91% to 1.71 million metric tons at the end of December.