Sugar futures on ICE fell to new session lows for the fourth straight day on Wednesday, reaching levels last seen in September on pressure from the firm US dollar and concern about ethanol prices after the oil market's recent plunge. Arabica coffee on ICE Futures US was quietly higher after briefly dipping to the lowest level since late September on pressure from forecasts for rain in top grower Brazil's growing region. Cocoa inched lower along with the broader commodity complex.
The Thomson Reuters CoreCommodity Index fell 0.2 percent to the lowest since June 2010 as the US dollar was bolstered by upbeat comments on the US economy by a Federal Reserve official. A strong greenback can pressure dollar-traded commodities, encouraging investors holding other currencies to sell. March raw sugar settled down 0.15 cent, or 1 percent, at 15.09 cents a lb, after falling to the lowest since September 26 at 15.07 cents.
"The biggest mover of sugar lately has been what is happening in crude," a London-based sugar trade source said. Weak crude prices reduce the competitiveness of cane-derived ethanol biofuel, boosting mills' incentives to increase sugar production at the expense of ethanol. US oil futures tumbled to 2009 lows on Monday.
Raw sugar's drop below 15.20 cents triggered technical selling, having broken below a trendline, traders said. March white sugar ended down $4.10, or 1 percent, at $396.30 per tonne, after touching $396.10 per tonne, a contract low. "Stand-alone refineries are struggling to sell white sugar, and this is reflected in the ever decreasing whites premium (now at around $64/$66 per tonne for the first quarter 2015)," said Nick Penney, a senior trader with Sucden Financial Sugar.
ICE March arabica coffee ended up 0.25 cent, or 0.1 percent, at $1.8365 per lb, after finding technical support at $1.83 per lb, the lowest since September 22. January robusta coffee closed up $17, or 0.8 percent, at $2,051 a tonne. March New York cocoa ended down $7, or 0.3 percent, at $2,852 a tonne, with London cocoa closing down 9 pounds, or 0.5 percent, at 1,895 pounds a tonne.
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