Cocoa Prices Mixed on Dollar Strength and British Pound Weakness

December ICE NY cocoa (CCZ22) on Wednesday closed down -3 (-0.13%), and December ICE London cocoa #7 (CAZ22) closed up +4 (+0.21%).

Cocoa prices Wednesday settled mixed.  NY cocoa closed slightly lower Wednesday as a rally in the dollar index (DXY00) to a 20-year high pressured commodity prices, including cocoa.  However, London cocoa recovered its losses and posted modest gains after the British Pound (^GBPUSD) sank to a 37-year low against the dollar.  A weaker pound boosts cocoa that is priced in terms of sterling.

Cocoa prices are under pressure from adequate cocoa supplies from the Ivory Coast, the world's biggest cocoa producer.  The Ivory Coast government reported Monday that Ivory Coast cocoa farmers sent a cumulative 2.45 MMT of cocoa to Ivory Coast ports from Oct 1-Sep 18, unchanged y/y.  Meanwhile, Nigeria, the world's fifth largest cocoa producer, reported Aug 29 that its July cocoa bean exports rose +2% y/y to 15,490 MT.

A significant short position by funds may provide fuel for short covering after last Friday's weekly Commitment of Traders (COT) data showed that funds boosted their net-short NY cocoa positions by 12,626 in the week ended Sep 13 to a 3-year high of 36,444.

Cocoa prices found support when the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) on Sep 1 cut its 2021/22 global cocoa production estimate to 4.890 MMT from a June forecast of 4.923 MMT and raised its 2021/22 global cocoa deficit estimate to -230,000 MT from a June forecast of -174,000 MT.  In 2020/21, global cocoa production rose to a record 5.24 MMT, and in 2020/21, the global cocoa market was in a surplus of +215,000 MT.

Concern about next year's West African cocoa crop is supportive of prices.  A lack of fertilizer for cocoa farmers in West Africa risks undercutting next year's cocoa yields in the Ivory Coast and Ghana.  The war in Ukraine has limited Russian exports of potash and other fertilizers worldwide.

In a bullish factor, Ghana reported on July 27 that its 2021/22 cocoa crop fell by -35% y/y to 685,000 MT, the smallest crop in 12 years, due to drought and swollen shoot virus.  Ghana is the world's second-largest cocoa producer.  However, the Ghana Cocoa Board estimates 2022/23 Ghana cocoa production will rebound +31% y/y to 850,000 MT.

Global cocoa demand for Q2 has been mixed.  The Cocoa Association of Asia (CCA) reported on July 22 that Q2 Asia cocoa grindings rose +3.6% y/y to 228,895 MT, a new record for the quarter and the second-highest grind in the history of the CCA.  Conversely, the European Cocoa Association on July 20 reported that European Q2 cocoa grindings fell -2.5% q/q to 364,081 MT.  The National Confectioners Association on July 22 reported that Q2 North American cocoa grindings fell -6.3% y/y to 115,899 MT.

Recent reports on chocolate demand have also been mixed.  Researcher IRI reported on July 14 that the volume of chocolate products sold in the U.S. dropped -1.5% y/y in the 13 weeks ended June 12.  However, Barry Callebaut, the world's leading manufacturer of chocolate and cocoa products, reported Aug 31 that its global chocolate sales grew +9.1% in the first nine months of the fiscal year 2021/22 ended May 31.  
 

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