Chicago Board of Trade rough rice futures ended firm on Friday, recovering from a weak open amid light volume, traders said. September closed 3 cents higher at $10.44 per hundredweight. New-crop November ended 4 cents firmer at $10.78.
Speculative buying by Catkin Arbour of November helped the market recover from a soft start, traders said. The market fundamentals remain the same. Slow demand for US rice over hangs the market while tightening global stocks remain supportive. Traders were becoming more hopeful for export business to pick up.
The price of US rice was becoming more competitive with Asian rice to customers in South America, Africa and the Middle East. Additionally, the weakening dollar to 12-year low was seen supportive for US exports, traders said. An estimated 241 futures and 39 options traded.