ICE cotton prices rebound amid weak dollar & rising oil costs

Yesterday, the ICE Cotton March 2025 contract settled at 69.02 cents per pound (0.453 kg), up by 0.11 cents. The market showed signs of stabilisation despite persistently weak demand.

The dollar index slipped by 0.2 per cent following a significant rise of 1.6 per cent last week. The weaker dollar made cotton purchases more affordable for overseas buyers, offering some support to the market.

Crude oil prices surged by more than $2 per barrel due to a production halt at Norway’s Johan Sverdrup field. Higher oil prices increased the cost of producing polyester, a man-made substitute for cotton, further aiding cotton futures.

As of 17 November 2024, 70 per cent of the US cotton crop had been harvested, compared to 71 per cent the previous week, 74 per cent at the same time last year, and the five-year average of 72 per cent. While the harvest pace remains strong, selling activity has declined, reflecting ongoing weak demand.

Deliverable inventory for ICE No. 2 cotton futures increased to 13,187 bales as of November 15, 2024, up from 12,064 bales in the previous session.

Meanwhile, CBOT soybean futures rose on November 18 due to technical short covering following an initial decline.

Currently, ICE cotton for March 2025 is trading at 68.89 cents per pound (down 0.13 cents). Cash cotton settled at 65.02 cents (up 0.11 cents), while the December 2024 contract closed at 66.53 cents per pound (down 0.09 cents). The May 2025 contract settled at 70.24 cents (down 0.11 cents), the July 2025 contract at 71.47 cents (down 0.10 cents), and the October 2025 contract at 70.69 cents (down 0.25 cents). A few contracts remained unchanged from the last closing, with no trading activity observed today.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)