Sugar, cocoa and coffee futures fell on investor selling on Monday as doubts about the strength of a global economic recovery weighed on equities and oil prices and drove up the US dollar. The dollar firmed as economic worries triggered a risk asset sell-off. The strong greenback makes dollar-denominated futures more expensive in terms of other currencies.
October white sugar closed down $1.20 at $551.80 a tonne on Monday, rebounding from earlier sharp losses on expected strong demand in top consumer India. It fell to a seven-trading-day low of $534.50 earlier. December cocoa settled 45 pounds lower at 1,767 pounds a tonne, on long liquidation and the weakening macro economic picture, resulting from concerns over the global financial recovery.
November robusta coffee settled down $28 at $1,385 per tonne on worries over the pace of the economic recovery. The Reuters-Jefferies CRB index, a global commodities benchmark, fell 1.47 percent to 253.55 points at 1609 GMT. Cocoa, coffee and sugar futures have all fallen by higher percentages than the index. "The dollar is up and we've had a general bailout across the commodities," a sugar dealer said. "Specs have been steady sellers, but volumes are quite light," he added.
Referring to the recent surge of raw sugar futures to a 28-1/2 year peak, another trader said: "You can't have a phenomenal rally with no breathing space or correction. It is a consolidation phase." Sugar futures began their correction lower late last week after powering to fresh highs mid-week on supply tightness in top producers Brazil and India, resilient demand and a build-up of long positions by investors and funds.
"News out of India is still bullish for the market as some think that the increase in monsoon rainfall in the past two to three days has come too late to help the cane crop," Sucden Financial said in a report. New York's key October raw sugar contract dropped 0.30 cent to 21.68 cents per lb, having made gains of 15.37 percent this month and 81.88 percent this year. Cocoa futures fell on long liquidation and in line with the macroeconomic picture, a trader said, noting that New York, which has been trading in a $100 range, led the way.
"We could see it go down to the low or mid $2,600 a tonne level," he said, adding that the liquidation could continue and London could fall to 1,725 pounds a tonne. ICE December cocoa was down $108 to $2,735 a tonne. "It's hugely macro-related," a London-based trader said, adding the market was reacting to doubts about the global economic recovery. Many traders are focused on prospects for the coming main crops in West Africa.
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