ICE cocoa futures closed quietly lower on Thursday after building in a bit more of a risk premium and hitting a 32-year high on Thursday as tensions mounted over supplies from top producer Ivory Coast. Arabica coffee futures finished lower in its weakest two-day performance in a month, falling from the highest level in more than 30 years on investor liquidation.
Sugar futures, however, bounced after Wednesday's losses, feeling a lift from the strong crude oil futures market. Sugar is used to make biofuel. ICE May cocoa inched down $6 to settle at $3,625 per tonne, after touching $3,645, the highest since January 1979. ICE May arabica coffee dropped 4.80 cents or 1.8 percent to close at $2.6465 per lb. ICE most-active May raw sugar contract rose 0.47 cent to end at 27.83 cents per lb, after hitting a session low at 26.90 cents, the lowest since December 30, 2010.