NY sugar falls from 3-mth high, coffee ends down, cocoa up

July 23 (Reuters) - Raw sugar futures closed slightly lower
on Monday after rising earlier to a three-month high, as macro
concerns caused investors to sell, while arabica coffee futures
also fell.
U.S. cocoa futures were weak earlier but closed quietly
higher as the market remained stuck in a range, with all three
markets moving in thin dealings.
The Thomson Reuters-Jefferies CRB index dropped on
fears that Spain would need to be bailed out, news that caused
investors to sell risky assets.

2:00 PM SETTLE NET PCT LOW HIGH CURRENT
CHNG CHNG VOL
Sugar OCT 23.89 -0.03 -0.1% 23.48 24.00 44,739
Sugar MAR 23.96 -0.02 -0.1% 23.65 24.00 25,620
Cocoa SEP 2238 9 0.4% 2,188 2,270 10,437
Cocoa DEC 2254 9 0.4% 2,207 2,283 4,066
Coffee SEP 185.1 -1.85 -1.0% 183.10 186.40 8,278
Coffee DEC 187.65 -1.95 -1.0% 185.85 189.00 3,451

TOTAL MARKET VOLUME
CURRENT 30D AVG 250D AVG
ICE SUGAR 89,271 134,309 95,597
ICE COCOA 17,634 23,897 21,758
ICE COFFEE 14,017 26,633 22,046

RAW SUGAR
* Benchmark October raw sugar futures inched down
0.03 cent to close at 23.89 cents a lb, after hitting a
three-month high at 24 cents.
* Market slips on investor sales due to worries over
Europe's debt woes - brokers.
* Weak Indian monsoon which could hit sugar output in the
world's No. 2 producer trims market losses.
* "There's enough concern about the Indian monsoon to
support sugar," said Sterling Smith, vice-president of commodity
research at Citibank.
* Sugar also derived support from rain delaying harvest in
top grower Brazil.

ARABICA COFFEE
* September arabica futures dropped 1.85 cents, or 1
percent, to end at $1.8510 per lb.
* Arabica futures fell along with the commodity complex and
on pressure from the rallying U.S. dollar and weak macro
sentiment - traders.
* Market pared its losses in thin dealings as the stock
markets gave back some of their losses.
* Certified arabica stocks jumped by 10,400 bags to
1,743,406 bags by July 20, the highest since October 2010. There
were a heavy 54,927 bags pending grading - ICE data.
* ICE certified arabica stocks have climbed every day so far
this month - exchange data.
* Speculators cut their net short position in arabica
futures and options for the fifth straight week, in the week to
July 17 - U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data
showed on Friday.
* Peet's Coffee & Tea Inc said it struck a deal to
be acquired by Joh. A. Benckiser for about $1 billion, a move
that will give Peet's a financial jolt as it competes against
larger coffee and tea shops.

COCOA
* Benchmark September cocoa futures closed up $9 at
at $2,238 a tonne.
* Market moved lower on the heels of the weak commodity
complex and lower equities but turned firm as the stock markets
came off their lows - traders.
* U.S. cocoa futures extended its intraday gains after
hitting the 100-day moving average at $2,264.
* The spot contract has traded between around
$1,900-$2,520 over the past seven months.
* Speculators increased their net short position in cocoa
futures and options, in the week to July 17, by 3,719 lots to
5,910 lots - CFTC.
* Good soil moisture and sufficient sunshine mean Ivory
Coast remains on track for a healthy start to the forthcoming
cocoa main crop despite a lack of rainfall in a number of main
growing regions last week - farmers, analysts.

For related news and prices, click on the codes in brackets:
Sugar futures/spreads Sugar cash prices
Coffee futures/spreads Coffee cash prices
Cocoa futures/spreads Cocoa cash prices

RELATED NEWS AND OTHER TOPICS
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(Reporting by Marcy Nicholson and Rene Pastor in New York;
Editing by Bob Burgdorfer)