BS: Coffee Falls Most in Six Weeks on Estimate for Vietnam’s Crop
By Chris Kay
Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Coffee fell the most in almost six weeks in London as an estimate for the crop in Vietnam, the world’s biggest grower of robusta beans, reduced concern about a potential supply shortage.
Vietnam’s harvest will come to about 20 million bags, the same as in the previous year, according to Andrea Thompson, an analyst at researcher CoffeeNetwork in Belfast, Northern Ireland. That would result in a 2 million-bag global surplus for robusta, used in espresso and instant coffee, she said by phone today.
“That’s a negative factor,” Thompson said. “That would be the third consecutive year that robusta has been in a surplus.”
Robusta coffee for November delivery dropped $73, or 4.2 percent, to $1,652 a metric ton at 12:59 p.m. on NYSE Liffe. Prices slid as much as 6.3 percent, the most since Aug. 24.
Arabica coffee for December delivery slid 3.3 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $1.778 a pound on ICE Futures U.S. in New York.
Sugar declined to the lowest price in almost two weeks as signs of increased rain eased concern that drought may damage crops in Brazil, the biggest producer.
A cold front reached the states of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais on Sept. 26, said Expedito Rebello, head of research at Brazil’s Meteorology Institute, adding that rains will help harvests following the drought.
Sugar Prices
“The Brazilian weather is potentially good for next year,” Peter de Klerk, a London-based analyst at C. Czarnikow Sugar Futures Ltd. said by phone today.
White, or refined, sugar for December delivery slid $18.10, or 2.9 percent, to $602 a ton on NYSE Liffe. Prices dropped as low as $599, the lowest level since Sept. 22.
Raw sugar for March delivery fell 0.66 cent, or 2.8 percent, to 22.70 cents a pound on ICE. The contract declined as low as 22.68 cents, also the lowest since price Sept. 22
Cocoa for December delivery fell 0.3 percent to 1,863 pounds ($2,950) a ton in London. In New York, the chocolate ingredient for December delivery dropped 0.5 percent to $2,769 a ton.
--Editors: Dan Weeks, Claudia Carpenter.
To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Kay in London at ckay5@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Claudia Carpenter at ccarpenter2@bloomberg.net