London sugar firms

London white sugar futures settled firmer on Friday in trade dominated by switch activity as the market focused on the expiry of the New York July raws contract. Benchmark August settled up $4.40 at $465.90 per tonne, near the top of the day's range of $466.00 to $459.60.
Total volume was 3,357 lots.
"Spreads account for much of the volume, as well as AAs (Against Actuals - a form of hedging), and there is a small amount of producer buying," one trader said.
The New York July raw sugar futures contract expired on Friday.
Germany's second largest sugar refiner, Nordzucker, is considering further expansion in east European and will start bioethanol production next year, CEO Ulrich Noehle said on Thursday.
COFFEE SETS 4-1/2 MONTH HIGH:
London robusta coffee futures closed higher after climbing to a 4-1/2 month peak on Friday, boosted by fund buying, and traders said they expected further upside next week.
Benchmark September finished up $51 or 4.2 percent at $1,258 a tonne after earlier rising to $1,263, the highest level for the second position since February 6. July ended up $50 at $1,242 a tonne. Total volume was a heavy 39,893 lots.
"There is fund technical-style buying, and rolling in front of first notice day," one dealer said. The first tender day for the July contract is Monday. "Everybody's buying it," another dealer commented. Tightness of world robusta supplies was underpinning the market, and would probably trigger further price rises next week, traders said. Brazilian beans were once again the focus of Europe's physical coffee market this week, traders said on Friday.
COCOA HIGHER: London cocoa futures closed just below an earlier 15-month high on Friday as investment funds pumped money into the market amid strong technical signals, traders said.
Benchmark September settled up 12 pounds at 959 pounds a tonne after earlier rising to a high of 963 pounds, the highest level for the second month since March 2005. July ended up 15 pounds at 1,001 pounds a tonne. Total volume was 15,604 lots.
Investor interest in commodities picked up the previous session, with metals and oil both speeding higher, and traders said some of that exuberance had spilled over in to cocoa.
Spot July rose 15 pounds to close at 1,001 pounds a tonne and its premium to September widened to 42 from 39 at the close on Thursday. The premium swelled to 56 pounds last week and has helped propel the market higher as speculators scramble to cover what is believed to be a net short position.
Arrivals of cocoa beans in top producer Ivory Coast reached 1,249,127 tonnes to June 25, according to an estimate by major exporters on Friday, slightly more than the 1.248 million delivered at the same time in the previous season.