US cocoa futures closed higher Tuesday on a wave of speculative buying after a report of stalled cocoa exports out of Ivory Coast gave the market a mild boost, though some believed the news was a minor influence, traders said.
The New York Board of Trade's active December cocoa contract rose $19 to settle at $1,386 a tonne, near the upper end of its $1,370-to-$1,392 trading range.
March cocoa finished the day up $17 at $1,422, while the rest of the board closed with gains of $17 to $19.