Brazil Forecast Damps Arabica-Coffee Rally

  NEW YORK  -  Arabica-coffee futures eased on Thursday after climbing by the

biggest percentage in more than eight months as better growing weather is

expected for top grower Brazil this month.

  Arabica coffee for delivery in December on ICE Futures U.S. was down 1.9% at

$1.1850 a pound. Prices had settled at a three-and-a-half week high in the

previous session, up 3.6% after reports of dry weather raised concerns about

the size of next season's crop.

  Brazilian forecaster Somar said Thursday that rain is likely for Brazil's

main coffee belt in the second half of the month. Brazil is the source of

around one-third of the world's coffee and growers there are currently wrapping

up their harvest, which the government estimates will be a record off-year

harvest of 47.5 million 60-kilogram bags.

  Frozen orange-juice concentrate for November was nearly unchanged at $1.35 a

pound. Raw-sugar was flat at 17.17 cents a pound.