Arabica coffee rallies as exchange certified stocks remain low

By Reuters News13:45 (UTC), 2 November 2026 Updated

LONDON, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Arabica coffee futures on ICE rallied on Monday as dealers grew nervous about near-term supply tightness, with certified stocks remaining low overall even if they are edging up.

Raw sugar prices dipped, meanwhile, having clocked gains of 10% in October.

COFFEE

* ICE arabica coffee futures rose 2.7% to $2.95 per lb by 1222 GMT.

* Despite benign weather in top grower Brazil improving prospects for next year's crop, arabica coffee lost only 1.2% in October.

* "Everything's looking good for the future, but in the meantime certified stocks are tight. Not as much has arrived as people were expecting," one dealer said.

* ICE stocks have been edging higher but they were last at 225,068 bags, not far off 27-year lows hit in mid-September , data showed.

* Also weighing on coffee was weaknes in the Brazilian real, which encourages the country's mills, farmers and exporters to sell dollar-priced futures by raising returns in local currency terms.

* Robusta coffee rose 2.6% to $3,286 a metric ton, having hit its lowest since March 2024 on Monday at $3,140.

SUGAR

* Raw sugar dropped by 1% to 19.17 cents per lb.

* Sugar is consolidating after last month's strong gains, with mills in top grower Brazil using the opportunity to hedge or lock in profits by selling futures.

* ICE raw sugar speculators cut their net long position — essentially a bet on price rises — by 34,464 contracts to 128,384 in the week to October 27, industry data showed.

* Against that, more El Nino-linked excess rains are forecast for Brazil this week, slowing the harvest, reducing sugar content in the cane and increasing the chances of an early end to the harvest.

* White sugar fell 0.8% to $512.40 a ton.

COCOA

* London cocoa rose 0.6% to £4,254 per ton after touching a one-month low of £4,168.

* Cocoa arrivals at ports in top grower Ivory Coast in the week ending November 1 stood at 51,000 tons, exporters estimated, down 43.3% from the same week last year.

* New York cocoa was up 1% at $5,505 a ton, having hit a one-month low on Friday at $5,356.

* New York cocoa speculators increased their net short position — essentially a bet on price falls — by 514 contracts to 21,898 in the week to October 27.