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quinta-feira, 3 de outubro de 2013

Cotton, Raw Sugar Gain on Supply Concerns; Cocoa Tumbles
Alexandra Wexler

  NEW YORK - Cotton prices rose to a six-week high Thursday on concerns that
poor growing weather would hamper the U.S. crop.
  Raw-sugar futures eked out a fresh 6 1/2-month high on continued supply
concerns, while cocoa prices fell to a one-week low.
  Cotton for delivery in December ended 0.7% higher at 87.44 cents a pound, a
six-week high, as supply concerns also buoyed that market.
  The U.S., the No. 1 exporter and No. 3 producer of the fiber, has been
suffering from poor weather conditions in its top-producing states, which
delayed the planting of the fiber and, subsequently, the development of the
crop.
  Tropical Storm Karen is forecast to dump rain on No. 2 cotton-growing state
Georgia on Sunday and Monday, which could damage open cotton bolls and reduce
supplies, analysts said.
  "It's hitting (the crop) right as they're pulling it out," said John Payne,
market strategist at Daniels Trading in Chicago. He expects the market to climb
until it runs into resistance at 90 cents a pound.
  "Without any USDA info (due to the shutdown), you're essentially trading on
rumors and weather," Mr. Payne added.
  Raw sugar for March delivery on the ICE Futures U.S. exchange ended 0.1%
higher at 18.52 cents a pound Thursday, the highest settlement since March 15.
  The harvest in Brazil, the No. 1 producer and exporter of the sweetener, is
being delayed by wet weather, fueling concerns that supplies will tighten.
  Rains delay the crop because heavy harvesting and transporting equipment
can't enter the sugar-cane fields when they are soggy. In addition, the longer
the rains delay the harvest, the further back it gets pushed, which leaves the
cane more vulnerable to cold, wet seasonal weather.
  Already this week, the Brazilian Sugar Cane Industry Association, or Unica,
trimmed its forecast for the country's center-south region's cane harvest by
0.4% from its previous forecast to 587 million metric tons this season. The
center-south produces about 90% of Brazil's sugar cane.
  The lower output estimates "provide a fundamental reason to buy," said Jack
Scoville, vice president at Price Futures Group in Chicago. "Traders also note
the increased potential for more crop losses in Brazil... due to rains in the
forecast for this week."
  ICE cocoa futures, on the other hand, tumbled below the key technical and
psychological level of $2,600 a ton Thursday, ending 1.8% lower at $2,585 a
ton, a one-week low.
  An early dip below $2,625 a ton triggered sell-stops, or preplaced orders to
sell when prices touch a certain level, sending prices cascading to $2,561 a
ton before bargain hunters boosted the market.
  "Looks like a large stop drove it down and that triggered more selling before
buying came in and brought it back up," said Michael Kerensky, assistant vice
president at RJO Futures in New York.
  Traders said the record net-long position that speculators have in the cocoa
market continues to make it vulnerable to long-liquidation.
  But market participants remain concerned that recent dry weather in West
Africa has hurt the quantity and quality of the region's main cocoa crop. West
Africa is the source of about 70% of the world's cocoa.
  Demand for cocoa beans is also high ahead of the holiday season. U.S.
warehouse stockpiles are at their lowest level since Feb. 26, and are down 5.7%
from a year ago.
  Orange juice for delivery in November settled 1.3% lower at $1.2585 a pound,
the lowest close since Sept. 20. Tropical Storm Karen, the only weather system
currently in the Caribbean, is forecast to miss Florida's orange-growing areas
entirely, leaving the market with little news to trade on.
  Arabica coffee for delivery in December edged to $1.1535 a pound, up 0.8%.

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