Aug 7 (Reuters) - U.S. cocoa futures closed at their highest level in 6-1/2 months on Tuesday, on short-covering and active September/December spreading, while raw sugar finished down for the sixth straight day and at a five-week trough.
Arabica coffee finished lower but remained in its recent range.
RAW SUGAR
* Benchmark October raw sugar futures tumbled 0.41 cent, or 1.9 percent, to finish at 21.42 cents a lb, the lowest settlement since July 2.
* The October contract closed lower for a sixth straight session, having settled below its 100-day moving average on Monday.
* Pressure came from improved crop weather in top growers Brazil and India, and as importers in China resold sugar due to expectations of large supplies there - traders.
* Volume was light for the eighth straight session, at roughly 81,128 lots, down 23 percent from the 30-day average - preliminary Thomson Reuters data.
* Brazil's center-south sugarcane mills should not have to leave any of the 2012/2013 crop in the fields for processing next season, the head of the country's largest sugar exporter, Cosan, said on Monday.
* India is considering imposing a tax on sugar exports and dropping a 10 percent import duty to help curb overseas sales and keep a lid on domestic prices as a drought threatens farm output - government sources.
ARABICA COFFEE
* September arabica futures dropped 2.85 cents, or 1.6 percent, to close at $1.7265 per lb.
* The market fell in rangebound dealings as traders expected this sideways trend to continue near-term amid the summer doldrums.
* The September contract's failure to close above the 100-day moving average on Monday also added pressure - traders.
* Improved harvest weather in top grower Brazil weighed mildly - traders.
* Volume was heavy on September/December spreading ahead of the spot contract's first notice day on Aug. 23 - traders.
* ICE certified arabica stocks jumped by 10,295 lots to 1,793,812 lots on Aug. 6, the highest since October 2010, with a heavy 76,289 lots pending grading - ICE data.
COCOA
* Benchmark December cocoa futures jumped $41, or 1.7 percent, to finish at $2,450 a tonne, the highest settlement for the second position since Jan. 26.
* The December contract hit a session high at $2,457.
* Market supported by strong sterling against the U.S. dollar - traders.
* Volume was heavy on active September/December spreading ahead of first notice day for September on Aug. 20 - traders.
* The September/December spread settled at a $3 discount, having narrowed sharply from the close of $11 on Monday.
* Short-covering buoyed prices while chart-based indicators also encouraged technical dealers as the market extended its gains above the 200-day moving average and climbed 13 percent in the past three weeks - traders.
* Fighters loyal to Ivory Coast's former president Laurent Gbagbo were behind a series of attacks that killed 10 soldiers in the commercial capital Abidjan since Sunday - interior minister.
2:00 PM SETTLE NET PCT LOW HIGH CURRENT
CHNG CHNG VOL
Sugar OCT 21.42 -0.42 -1.9% 21.35 22.04 47,420
Sugar MAR 21.91 -0.38 -1.7% 21.84 22.49 18,774
Cocoa SEP 2447 41 1.7% 2,402 2,451 17,039
Cocoa DEC 2450 34 1.4% 2,409 2,457 17,104
Coffee SEP 172.65 -2.15 -1.2% 172.40 176.20 16,439
Coffee DEC 175.3 -2.2 -1.2% 175.05 178.75 13,539
TOTAL MARKET VOLUME
CURRENT 30D AVG 250D AVG
ICE SUGAR 81,128 104,647 96,101
ICE COCOA 39,103 22,138 21,588
ICE COFFEE 34,179 20,971 21,951
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/07/markets-softs-close-idUSL2E8J7BKF20120807
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