Coffee: Global Report up to January 2015


News from Panama / Monday, February 16th, 2015

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The climate in Brazil was the main factor affecting the behavior of the international price of the grain in January starting the month high and closing at $143.43 US Cents per pound.

From the Coffee Market Report – January 2015 by the International Coffee Organization (ICO):

Dry weather in Brazil at the beginning of January spurred prices higher, with the daily price of the ICO composite indicator rising from 140.57 US cents/lb to a high of 155.40 by the middle of the month. However, forecasts of rain later in the month punctured this brief rally,causing the ICO composite to fall back down to 143.43 cents by the end of January.Nevertheless, overall rainfall levels in Brazil remain below average, with the development of the 2015/16 crop now at a crucial stage. Furthermore, an infestation of coffee berry borer has led to a state of phytosanitary emergency being declared in the states of São Paulo and Espírito Santo.

As a result, the monthly average of the ICO composite indicator price settled 1.6% lower on 148.24 US cents/lb in January, its lowest level since February 2014. All four group indicators fell, although Robustas were more stable, down just 0.4%. Other Milds increased their premium over Colombian Milds, and now have been trading higher for 12 consecutive months. The differentials between the three Arabica groups and Robustas narrowed significantly, and the arbitrage between the New York and London futures markets was reduced to 83.86 cents, again, the lowest since February 2014.