Raw sugar hits eight-week low, firmer dollar weighs

Raw sugar futures on ICE slid to an eight-week low on Thursday, weighed by a stronger dollar, before trimming losses, dealers said. ICE March raw sugar futures fell 0.10 cents or 0.4 per cent to 26.02 cents a lb by 1255 GMT after earlier slipping to an eight-week low of 25.48 cents. Pakistan raised the quantity of another scheduled sugar tender, due to be opened next week, to 200,000 tonnes from 50,000 tonnes. Liffe May white sugar was down $6.30 or 0.9 per cent at $707.70 per tonne. May cocoa on ICE fell $10 or 0.3 per cent to $3,084 a tonne while May cocoa on Liffe rose a marginal one pound to 2,257 pounds a tonne. Robusta coffee futures on Liffe edged up as the market rebounded from an earlier contract low. May robustas stood $3 or 0.2 per cent higher at $1,313 per tonne after earlier setting a contract low of $1,305. May arabicas rose 0.30 cent or 0.2 percent to $1,3495 per lb.