Cotton slips on firm dollar ahead of WASDE report
Nov 8 (Reuters) -ICE cotton futures fell on Friday on dollar strength, while investors buckled in for a federal monthly supply-demand report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
* Cotton contracts for December CTZ4 fell 0.6 cent, or 0.8%, to 70.45 cents per lb as of 10:52 a.m. ET (1552 GMT). However, the contract was headed for a weekly gain of 0.4%.
* The market is positioning itself ahead of the reports. Having seen strong gains in the previous session, it's now entering a bit of a consolidation phase, said Jack Scoville, vice president at Chicago-based Price Futures Group.
* "I'm actually expecting a fairly neutral report... the market is acting like it's trying to put a bottom in right now, so we could be a little higher."
* Focus will be on the USDA's World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report due at 12:00 p.m. ET. EXP/COT
* The dollar index .DXY was up 0.2%. A stronger U.S. currency makes cotton less appealing for buyers holding other currencies. USD/
* Oil prices fell on receding fears over the impact of Hurricane Rafael on oil and gas infrastructure in the U.S. Gulf, while investors also weighed up fresh Chinese economic stimulus. O/R
* Lower oil prices make cotton-substitute polyester less expensive.
* In the grains market, Chicago soybean futures fell after reaching their highest in nearly a month in the previous session, on spillover strength from a rally in vegetable oil markets. Corn and wheat futures also edged lower. GRA/
* Meanwhile, the USDA's weekly export sales report on Thursday showed net sales of upland totaling 229,000 running bales for 2024/2025 were up 21% from the previous week and 51% from the prior four-week average.
Reporting by Sherin Elizabeth Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber
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