March ICE NY cocoa (CCH23) on Monday closed up +85 (+3.26%), and March ICE London cocoa #7 (CAH23) closed up +19 (+0.93%).
Cocoa prices Monday rallied sharply, with NY cocoa posting an 11-month nearest-futures high. A selloff in the dollar Monday to a 7-month low was bullish for cocoa prices. Also, cocoa prices are climbing on reports from West African cocoa farmers that the seasonal Harmattan winds have led to excessive dryness that is limiting the flowering of cocoa trees, which could reduce cocoa yields.
Gains in London cocoa were limited after the British Pound (^GBPUSD) rallied to a 2-1/2 week high against the dollar. A stronger pound undercuts cocoa priced in sterling.
NY cocoa continues to see underlying support from tighter cocoa supplies. ICE-monitored NY cocoa inventories held in U.S. ports have trended lower over the past four months and fell to an 8-3/4 month low last Tuesday. Also, ICE-monitored cocoa stockpiles held in EU ports remain at a 9-month low of 112,880 MT.
Signs that cocoa demand is improving are bullish for prices. Gepex, a cocoa exporter group of six of the world's biggest cocoa grinders, reported last Thursday that Gepex Nov cocoa processing rose +5.1% y/y to 55,248 MT.
An excessive long position in London cocoa futures could fuel long liquidation pressures after last Friday's weekly Commitment of Traders (COT) report showed funds boosted their net-long London cocoa positions by 3,439 the week ended Jan 3 to 83,119, a 7-year high.
Abundant cocoa supplies from the Ivory Coast, the world's largest cocoa producer, are bearish for prices. Ivory Coast government data last Tuesday showed that Ivory Coast farmers sent a cumulative 1.16 MMT MT of cocoa to Ivory Coast ports for the 2022/23 marketing year from October 1 through January 1, up +12.6% y/y.
Cocoa prices have seen support from concern about the quality of some West African cocoa crops. Cocoa farmers continue to struggle with the lack of fertilizer and pesticides as the war in Ukraine has limited Russian exports of potash and other fertilizers worldwide.
The quarterly report from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) on December 1 was bullish for cocoa prices after ICCO said global 2021/22 cocoa production fell -6.8% y/y to 4.89 MMT as unfavorable weather and disease hampered cocoa yields. ICCO revised its 2021/22 global cocoa production figure downward by -67,000 MT from the September figure.
Larger cocoa exports from Nigeria are bearish for prices. News on December 22 showed that Nigeria's Nov cocoa exports jumped +130% m/m and +17% y/y to 36,819 MT. Nigeria is the world's fifth-largest cocoa bean producer.
Recent global cocoa demand has been mixed. The National Confectioners Association October 20 reported North American Q3 cocoa grindings fell -3.4% y/y to 119,244 MT. Also, the European Cocoa Association on October 13 reported that European Q3 cocoa grindings fell -1.6% y/y to 369,679 MT, the first y/y decline since Q1 of 2021. Conversely, the Cocoa Association of Asia said Asia Q3 cocoa grindings rose +9.5% y/y to 231,080 MT. Also, exporter group Gepex, which includes six of the world's biggest cocoa grinding companies, reported Q3 Ivory Coast cocoa grindings rose +18.1% y/y to 171.540 MT.
Cocoa prices found support when the ICCO on September 1 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.
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On the date of publication, Rich Asplund did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes.
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