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Large ICE raw sugar shipment not always bearish, traders say

The big raw sugar delivery at the expiry of the May agreement on ICE is not always a bearish indication, traders stated on Wednesday, as it could show strong need in the physical market.

ICE said in a notification on Wednesday that the shipments amounted to 32,914 agreements, or around 1.67 million metric tons, the third largest for a May agreement and the fourth largest for any contract month.

The notification confirmed preliminary info provided by traders on Thursday.

Big deliveries are normally thought about bearish, since it can indicate sellers could not discover better offers for that sugar in the physical market, choosing rather to provide at the exchange.

Some traders, however, saw it differently. The truth that big manufacturers such as Brazil's Raizen in addition to trader Alvean, which is controlled by another large Brazilian sugar maker Copersucar, are taking delivery of large quantities was kept in mind.

Either there is a concern for the Brazilian walking cane crop or they have actually both discovered need, said a U.S.-based trader.

Any of those choices would be bullish for the market, he stated.

Raw sugar prices were trading around 1% lower on ICE on Wednesday.

ICE stated that almost all the sugar will come from Brazil, with the Paranagua port packing the largest quantity at around 915,000 lots.

Santos port is normally the leading sugar exporting hub in Brazil, but traders said some shippers had issues with congestion there recently so they are most likely looking to options.