US cocoa futures firmed in listless dealings Wednesday on some light trade and speculative buying as the market continued to trade in a narrow band amid a dearth of news, sources said.
"Not very much to say today. The market seemed to hold up against an earlier attempt at a sell-off that really didn't go anywhere," said one floor broker.
The New York Board of Trade's (NYBOT) active March cocoa contract rose $11 to finish the day at $1,415 a tonne, near the top of its $1,399 to $1,419 trading range. May cocoa ended up $10 at $1,435, while deferred or distant months closed with gains of $9 to $12.
NYBOT final cocoa volume was estimated at 4,914 lots, with about 1,000 lots done by Against Actuals (AAs), floor dealers said.