US cotton heads for weekly loss as weak demand overshadows storm concerns
Sept 27 (Reuters) -ICE cotton futures edged lower on Friday and were headed for a weekly loss, pressured by weak demand as the market shrugged off concerns about storm-related crop damage in Georgia.
* Cotton contracts for December CTZ4 fell 0.19 cents, or 0.3%, at 72.83 cents per lb at 12:20 a.m. EDT (1620 GMT). Prices are down 1.2% for the week so far.
* "It seemed like the storm came in at a large category four and then moved inland pretty quickly across Georgia where a lot of cotton was at risk," said Bailey Thomen, cotton risk management consultant at StoneX Group.
* Helene weakened into a tropical storm as it moved farther inland over Georgia, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.
* However, the market has largely remained sideways to lower this week rather than rallying as anticipated, reflecting the ongoing perception that the demand situation hasn't significantly improved and suggesting there's no perceived shortage of cotton, Thomen added.
* The U.S. Department of Agriculture's weekly export sales data on Thursday showed exports of 79,500 running bales of cotton were down 39% from the previous week and 43% from the prior 4-week average. EXP/COT
* Chicago wheat edged down to ease from a two-week high, while soybeans steadied after a volatile previous session, with corn also edging lower. GRA/
* Oil prices were steady but remained on track for a weekly fall as investors weighed expectations for higher global supply against fresh stimulus from top crude importer China.
* Lower crude prices make polyester, an alternative to cotton, less expensive.
Reporting by Sherin Elizabeth Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman
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