US MIDDAY: sugar slips

ICE sugar prices edged down early on Wednesday as dealers noted that port congestion in top producer Brazil had eased, but drought in Russia eroded the country's outlook for sugar beet production. A stronger dollar against a basket of currencies, after the Fed's assessment of the US economy turned more pessimistic, capped the upside in soft commodities, dealers said.
Cocoa inched lower and was vulnerable to further losses, while coffee rose. ICE October raw sugar was down 0.23 cent at 18.33 cents a lb. ICE December cocoa was off $46 at $2,884 per tonne. ICE December arabicas were up 0.65 cent at $1.7195 a lb at 1212 GMT.