SOFTS-NY coffee slips after hitting multi-week highs as 'super El Niño' looms

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NEW YORK, June 18 (Reuters) - Arabica coffee futures on ICE slipped on Thursday after hitting multi-week highs earlier in the session due to fears of a potentially very strong weather pattern, a "super El Niño", gathering pace, while robusta coffee still closed up.

Sugar futures fell, tracking weaker oil prices.

COFFEE

  • Arabica coffee KCc2 settled down 4.1 cents, or 1.5%, at $2.678 per lb, having hit its highest since mid-May at $2.7810.

  • Robusta coffee LRCc2 rose 0.2% to $3,629 a metric ton, having hit its highest since early March at $3,680.

  • El Niño is especially problematic for robusta as it typically brings high temperatures and reduced rains to Vietnam and Indonesia, which grow about 50% of the world's robusta coffee.

  • In arabica, meanwhile, the pattern initially brings excess rains to top-grower Brazil. While these slow the harvest, they can only boost prices if they significantly damage crop quality or cause fungal disease.

  • Weather turned dry in key producing areas in Brazil, allowing farmers to get back to harvesting and drying of coffee, but rains are forecast to return over the next week to 10 days.

SUGAR

  • Raw sugar SBc1 ​settled down 0.26 cent, or 1.9%, at 13.59 cents per lb, having hit a near two-month low of 13.56 cents on Tuesday.

  • Energy price declines continue to pressure the market by tempting cane mills to produce less ethanol fuel and more sugar.

  • Also China, the world's largest sugar importer, shipped in 36.8% less sugar in May than a year ago, data showed.

  • Limiting losses in sugar however, are longer term fears El Niño will curb production.

  • White sugar LSUc1 dropped 1.5% to $445.30 a ton.

COCOA

  • London cocoa LCCc2 settled up £37, or 1.2%, to £3,198 per ton, having hit its highest since late May on Wednesday.

  • The market has been supported by indications the El Niño weather pattern may significantly crimp 2026/27 output in West Africa and in No. 3 producer Ecuador.

  • Dealers also noted that demand for the chocolate ingredient is showing some improvement.

  • New York cocoa CCc2 was little changed at $4,237 a ton.


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