US cocoa futures prices ended a quiet Thursday session in negative territory amid signs of healthy bean warehouse stocks, traders said. At the New York Board of Trade, the bellwether July cocoa contract settled at $1,488 a tonne, down $12, after dealing within a narrow range from $1,484 to $1,505. The September contract likewise eased $12 to $1,512, while deferred deliveries edged down $10 to $13.
NYBOT cocoa stocks in licensed warehouses at ports in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia stood at 2,944,078 bags as of April 27, up 60 percent from 1,814,360 at the same time a year ago.