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Arabica Coffee Futures Trade Lower As New Potential COVID Variant Spooks Global Market

By: Diana Delgado, Contractor

Arabica Coffee Futures Trade Lower As New Potential COVID Variant Spooks Global Market

Arabica Coffee Futures Trade Lower As New Potential COVID Variant Spooks Global Market

 Arabica coffee futures at the InterContinental Exchange traded lower by 4.80 based on the March contract, last seen 240.55 as a new COVID variant in Southern African nations spooks global markets.

The March contract touched as high as 244.70 and as low as 238.30 cents per pound. A total of 12,200 contracts have exchanged hands so far in a slow market as the US celebrated yesterday, Thanksgiving, and many market participants took Friday off.

Global markets, exchange rates in coffee-producing nation and risk assets plunged in today’s session after the scientists found a new variant in southern African nations that appeared to be more contagious than the Delta variant. In Europe, more countries are tightening their travel restrictions after a new coronavirus variant was identified in southern Africa.

The UK and Singapore are among those rushing in stricter quarantine measures or banning flights from South Africa and neighboring countries. The European Union is proposing to ban flights from the region across the whole bloc.

In Colombia, the peso broke the COP4,000 threshold in early trading for the second time so far this year, a depreciation that has continued to push Colombian local coffee prices to record new record highs.

The Colombian peso has hit as high as COP4,025 in early trading. This is the second time in 2021 when the peso surpasses the COP4,000 threshold. On April 22, the peso ended at COP4,045 pesos to the dollar.

The depreciation of the Colombian peso, which has weakened 16.5%, is one of the factors that has pushed local coffee prices to new record highs.

Local prices for two bags of parchment coffee of 125kg ended at COP2.205 million Colombian pesos ($551) on November 24, the highest level ever allowing growers to pocket strong gains as average production costs range COP850,000 and COP900,000, according to figures from the coffee growers federation.  FNC did not publish local coffee prices yesterday as it was a holiday in the US.

The Brazilian Real is also weakening to BRL 5.59300.

The drop in Friday’s market reverses two consecutive sessions of gains amid ongoing concerns over coffee supply from Brazil and Colombia- the world’s first and third-largest coffee producers- which have been drastically hit by climate change; and woes for the 2021-2022 harvest continue hit by the effects of La Niña weather phenomenon.

The London Robusta contract in March is falling by US$6/ per tonne at $2,290.

Commodities are mostly lower. Brent Crude Oil falls 5.65% to US$754 per barrel.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down by 0.03% to  35,804.38

 
  • Coffee

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