US MIDDAY: cocoa climbs

US cocoa futures settled Thursday atop a 32-year peak as fighting spread in Ivory Coast, igniting fears supplies will come to a halt from the world's top producer of the chocolate ingredient. Coffee and sugar futures rose as well, propped up by such bullish fundamentals as tight supplies.
New York's May cocoa contract rose $69 to settle at $3,733 per tonne, having posted a new 32-year intra-day peak at $3,760. New York's May arabica coffee futures rose 5.20 cents to end at $2.7475 per lb. New York's May raw sugar contract went up 0.21 cent to close 30.59 cents per lb.