Arabica-Coffee Futures Tick Up After Hard Fall

            

  NEW YORK - Short-covering boosted arabica coffee Monday morning after futures

settled at a more than four-year low during the previous session.

  Global supplies of coffee beans have swelled thanks to back-to-back bumper

crops from Brazil, the source of one-third of the world's coffee, and

recovering production from neighboring Colombia.

  Growers in Brazil are expected to harvest 47.5 million 60-kilogram

(132-pound) bags of coffee this year, a record for an "off-year" harvest,

government crop agency Conab has said.

  Arabica coffee for December delivery on the ICE Futures U.S. exchange was

recently 0.5% higher at $1.1425 a pound.

  Brazil's currency, which weakened to a more than one-week low on Friday, was

stronger Monday morning, curbing selling pressure in the market. A stronger

real discourages exports of coffee because producers receive less reais back

for their crops sold abroad in U.S. dollars.