Raw sugar futures on ICE closed higher for the first time in 14 sessions on Friday, rebounding from an earlier two-month low, on fresh hopes for European Central Bank intervention in the euro zone debt crisis. Cocoa futures jumped on security concerns in top producer Ivory Coast, and arabica coffee turned higher after hitting an eight-week low, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel's apparent support of ECB intervention sparked broad buying in commodities.
"There's buying everywhere today. There's some general buying involved here," said Jack Scoville, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago, referring to more economic optimism in the euro zone and hopes for growth in raw material demand. Benchmark October sugar futures on ICE inched up 0.03 cent to close at 20.18 cents per lb. The contract touched 20.11 cents earlier in the session, the lowest level for the front month since June 15. "Coffee and sugar both have been really beat up and deserve some sort of short-covering rally, because they've been left for the vultures to pick over," Scoville said.
"As hammered as both those markets have been over the past couple weeks, to see a short-covering rally at the end of the week is no big surprise." The 13-session drop put raw sugar futures in technically oversold levels on the 14-day relative strength index. Dealers noted that while the weather had improved in the world's second-largest sugar cane grower India, monsoon rains remained below average, helping underpin prices which have slid over 10 percent since the start of the month. "Sugar has been in a down trend, it's pure fundamentals," said Andrey Kryuchenkov, analyst at VTB Capital.
India's top three cane-producing states of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka received good rainfall in the past week, except in some pockets where showers were below average. "A break below 20 cents on the front-month could see losses all the way to 18.90 cents," added Kryuchenkov.
White sugar October futures on Liffe settled flat at $559.50 per tonne. Cocoa futures jumped but remained rangebound as dealers monitored the security situation in Ivory Coast where a recent spate of attacks has caused concern. "Incidents are becoming a bit more frequent which has to be watched," said a European trader. Gunmen attacked security posts and freed more than 100 prisoners in a town west of Ivory Coast's commercial capital Abidjan during an overnight raid that ended on Thursday morning, officials and local residents said.
ICE December cocoa futures settled up $42, or 1.8 percent, at $2,442. The market rose to a peak on Monday of $2,501, the highest level for the benchmark second month since November 2011. In London, the December contract remained the most expensive, indicating uncertainty over the pace of exports from top producer Ivory Coast at the start of the coming season which opens on Oct. 1. December cocoa futures finished up 18 pounds, or 1.1 percent, at 1,631 pounds per tonne. Arabica coffee futures turned higher on broad based short-covering after feeling continued harvest pressure from top producer Brazil earlier.
"Roasters don't seem to be buyers, in New York they have significant cover," said a London-based broker, noting there was usually a seasonal lull in August.
ICE certified arabica stocks continued to rise to the highest level in nearly two years, reaching nearly 1.85 million bags by Aug. 16, with more than 109,000 bags pending grading. December arabicas on ICE gained 1.40 cents, or 0.9 percent, to finish at $1.6320 a lb. The contract earlier slid to $1.6025, the lowest level for the second month since June 26. November robusta coffee futures inched down $1 to settle at $2,102 a tonne.