Thai rice futures end mixed in thin trade

Thai rice futures ended mixed in thin trade on Monday as speculative buying pushed up nearby contracts and short selling pulled deferred contracts down, brokers said.
Overall volume fell as only 37 contracts of 5 percent white rice were traded compared to Friday's 243. The most active February contract settled at 11.52 baht per kg, down from 11.54 baht, with the number of contracts traded falling to 22 from 61."The February contact dropped due to technical sales but the December contract ended up as players bought on expectations that prices will rise as less supplies were available in the market," one broker said.
The nearby December contract settled at 11.54 baht per kg, up from 10.52 baht, with the number of contracts traded falling to 10 from 113. Prices were expected to move in a narrow range of 11.52-11.58 baht per kg and trading volume was expected to remain thin over the next few day, as investors would stay on the sidelines waiting for clear directions, brokers said.
On the physical front, Thai 5 percent white rice was at 11.20 baht per kg, unchanged from last week.