KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 (Reuters) -Malaysian palm oil futures fell on Wednesday for a third session in fourth, although firmer crude oil prices and a softer ringgit lent some support to prices.

The benchmark palm oil contract FCPOc3 for January delivery on the Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange slid 24 ringgit, or 0.52%, to 4,613 ringgit ($1,052.48) a metric ton in early trade. The market will be closed on Thursday for a holiday.

FUNDAMENTALS

* Dalian's most-active soyoil contract DBYcv1 fell 0.14%, while its palm oil contract DCPcv1 rose 0.41%. Soyoil prices on the Chicago Board of Trade BOcv1 were up 0.14%.

* Palm oil tracks price movements of rival edible oils, as they compete for a share in the global vegetable oils market.

* The ringgit MYR=, palm's currency of trade, weakened 0.21% against the dollar, making the commodity cheaper for buyers holding foreign currencies.

* Oil prices stabilised on industry data showing a surprise drop in U.S. crude and gasoline inventories, following two previous sessions of losses on the prospect of hostilities easing in the Middle East. O/R

* Stronger crude oil futures make palm a more attractive option for biodiesel feedstock.

* European Union soybean imports so far in the 2024/25 season that started in July had reached 3.78 million metric tons by Oct. 25, up 1% from a year earlier, while palm oil imports were down 21% to 988,458 tons, data published by the European Commission showed.

MARKET NEWS

* Asia shares eased on the back of weakness in China, as investors brace for a tightly contested U.S. election that could have huge ramifications for the world's second-largest economy, even as Beijing tries to shore up growth. MKTS/GLOB

DATA/EVENTS

0630 France GDP Preliminary QQ Q3

0855 Germany Unemployment Chg SA Oct

0855 Germany Unemployment Rate SA Oct

0900 Germany GDP Flash QQ SA Q3

0900 Germany GDP Flash YY NSA Q3

1000 EU GDP Flash Prelim YY Q3

1000 EU GDP Flash Prelim YY Q3

1000 EU Consumer Confid. Final Oct

1230 US GDP Advance Q3

1300 Germany CPI Prelim YY Oct

1300 Germany HICP Prelim YY Oct

($1 = 4.3830 ringgit)

Reporting by Ashley Tang; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu

For a table on Malaysian physical palm oil prices, including refined oil, Reuters Terminal users can double click on or type OILS/MY01. * To view freight rates from Peninsula Malaysia/Sumatra to China, India, Pakistan and Rotterdam, please key in OILS/ASIA2 and press enter, or double click between the brackets. * Reuters Terminal users can see cash and futures edible oil prices by double clicking on the codes in the brackets: To go to the next page in the same chain, hit F12. To go back, hit F11. Vegetable oils OILS/ASIA1 Malaysian palm oil exports SGSPALM1 CBOT soyoil futures 0#BO: CBOT soybean futures 0#S: Indian solvent SOLVENT01 Dalian Commodity Exchange DC/MENU Dalian soyoil futures 0#DBY: Dalian refined palm oil futures 0#DCP: Zhengzhou rapeseed oil 0#COI: European edible oil prices/trades OILS/E