2011白糖市场走势分析

Sugar Bulletin

Inside

Sugar crop plantings for 2011/12 and their implications for the market

June 2011

White Premium Rockets Upwards

After falling sharply in April, raw sugar prices stabilised during May and are now trading in a range of 20-23 cents/lb. While the slow pace of the Brazilian harvest, combined with the growing line up of vessels at Centre/South ports, is supporting prices nearby, the prospect of a large surplus in 2011/12 is beginning to loom over the market. However, this surplus is still some way off and it remains to be seen if the weather will intervene as it did in 2010. As a result, the market structure remains broadly flat, with little difference between nearby prices and those 18 months out. Nearby raw sugar prices are currently trading at 22-23 cents/lb, around the same level as one month ago (Diagram 1). Meanwhile, the white premium has finally rocketed upwards, reaching close to $170/mt basis July/August futures (Diagram 2 and 3). Until recently, the white premium had been trading at very low levels for most of 2011. A powerful combination of high raw sugar prices, a steeply inverted market and weak demand for whites resulted in the white premium falling into negative territory on a pol-adjusted basis during some periods. Many refiners responded to this situation by cutting their losses and ceasing operations for much of the last few months. Of course, this situation could not be sustained forever, and it was widely anticipated that the white premium would recover in the second quarter. However, the premium has risen in spectacular fashion, making destination refining not only viable but extremely attractive in the near term.

The white premium has been supported by improved demand, with many northern hemisphere countries having finished harvesting their domestic crops and now turning to imports, in some cases in anticipation of the Ramadan festival. However, near term prospects are supported not only by the re-emergence of demand, but also by the realisation that Thailand, a major origin producer of whites, will concentrate on raw sugar this year.

The huge size of the Thai crop this year has increased significantly the country’s export availability, with around 7.0 mn mt rv available for export from the 2010/11 crop. However, the market conditions that prevailed during the

Diagram 1: Raw sugar futures prices

20.0

20.521.021.522.022.523.023.524.0Jul-11Oct-11Mar-12U S c e n t s /l b Current

1 month ago

6 months ago

Futures

Note: Current prices are an average of the five trading days prior

to publication. Other prices are for the corresponding period one month and six months ago.