Rough rice futures on the Chicago Board of Trade ended higher on Friday, notching an all-time high for the third time this week, as the market remained sensitive to speculative buying, traders said. The high of $13.61 was made in the July contract.
Rice was underpinned by prospects for fewer rice plantings in the year ahead and the weakness in the dollar, which is spurring export sales. January rice closed 8 cents higher at $12.97 per hundredweight and March ended 8 up at $13.29. Volume was moderate, estimated at 624 futures and 160 options. That compared with 569 futures and 105 options that traded on Thursday.