North America cocoa processing rises slightly in Q2
Includes comments from brokers, context on plant closure
By Marcelo Teixeira
NEW YORK, July 18 (Reuters) -North American cocoa processing rose in the second quarter of 2024 to 104,781 metric tons, up 2.2% from the same period a year earlier, according to data from the National Confectioners Association (NCA) released on Thursday.
Cocoa grind data is a key demand indicator for the market of the chocolate-making commodity. NCA said 14 plants in North America reported data on cocoa processing for the second quarter report, one less than a year ago.
Brokers and analysts were expecting a decrease or a stability on cocoa processing due to the sharp price increases for the beans in 2023 and this year.
New York cocoa prices CCc2 rose 61% in 2023 and are up 92% so far in 2024, as production problems in Africa reduced cocoa availability.
But a small recovery was not out of question because grindings were down a lot in the second quarter last year (-11%).
"It was a good number," said a U.S.-based broker, who was expecting a decline between 3% and 5%.
The one plant missing in the report is likely to be the former Chicago facility owned by Blommer Chocolate Co, which was closed in March.
Blommer said at the time that it would increase cocoa processing in its other three plants in the region to compensate for the closure.
Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira; Editing by Sandra Maler
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
