financetom
World
financetom
/
World
/
Cocoa, coffee, sugar prices slide as markets remain rattled by Trump tariffs
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Cocoa, coffee, sugar prices slide as markets remain rattled by Trump tariffs
Apr 4, 2025 6:52 AM

LONDON (Reuters) - World cocoa, coffee and sugar prices slid again on Friday as markets remained rattled by U.S. president Donald Trump's sweeping 'Liberation Day' tariffs, especially after China retaliated with its own tariffs on U.S. imports.

Trump on Wednesday slapped a 10% tariff on most U.S. imports and much higher levies of more than 50% on some counties, prompting a world-wide sell of in stock markets as nations from Canada to China ready retaliation.

"Following this 'liberation', many trade flows from the most affected producers will now enter a labyrinth in order to find demand in other countries," said Rabobank in a report that warned the new demand will come 'at an efficiency cost'.

The bank also said that as 'retaliation day' looms, U.S. consumers of coffee and chocolate should expect more expensive products as top cocoa producer Ivory Coast faces a 21% tariff while No. 2 coffee producer Vietnam faces a 'humbling' 46% levy.

At 1228 GMT, London cocoa futures​ traded on the ICE exchange, seen as a global price benchmark,​ traded down 1.1% to 6,611 pounds per metric ton, having lost 1.5% on Thursday, while New York cocoa fell 2.7% to $9,044 a ton.

Aside from consuming the most chocolate, the U.S. is also the world's top importer of processed cocoa products like butter from the European Union, Malaysia and Indonesia, which now face tariffs of 20%, 24% and 32%, respectively.

While tariffs could hurt U.S. chocolate demand, dealers noted that losses in cocoa prices are somewhat limited by supply concerns, with top producer Ivory Coast expected to record its worst mid-crop in a decade.

Arabica coffee futures, by contrast, slid 3% to $3.7395 per lb, having lost 1% on Thursday, while robusta coffee fell 3% to $5,228 a ton.

The first U.S. tariffs on coffee imports since colonial times will increase costs and complexity to American importers and roasters already struggling to pass on near-record coffee prices, dealers said.

Top global robusta producer Vietnam, facing 46% tariffs, is the third largest supplier of coffee to the U.S., which is in turn the biggest consumer of the caffeinated beverage in the world.

"If applied, the new tariffs could spell the end of Vietnam coffee in the U.S. as it would create significant price gaps with competing robusta origins - a massive 36-percentage-point difference (~$1,944/ton) compared with Brazil," said a dealer.

In other soft commodities traded, raw sugar ​​fell 0.6% to 19 cents per lb, having closed down 2.5% on Thursday, while white sugar fell 0.4% at $541.80 a ton, having lost 1.6% in the prior session.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Cocoa, coffee, sugar prices slide as markets remain rattled by Trump tariffs
Cocoa, coffee, sugar prices slide as markets remain rattled by Trump tariffs
Apr 4, 2025
LONDON (Reuters) - World cocoa, coffee and sugar prices slid again on Friday as markets remained rattled by U.S. president Donald Trump's sweeping 'Liberation Day' tariffs, especially after China retaliated with its own tariffs on U.S. imports. Trump on Wednesday slapped a 10% tariff on most U.S. imports and much higher levies of more than 50% on some counties, prompting...
GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks, oil plunge again as China hits back after Trump tariffs
GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks, oil plunge again as China hits back after Trump tariffs
Apr 4, 2025
(Updates to late New York morning) * Stocks extend global selloff after China retaliates * Traders ramp up bets on Fed, BoE, ECB rate cuts * Live coverage of the latest developments on tariffs By Caroline Valetkevitch and Harry Robertson NEW YORK/LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - Global stock markets tumbled and oil prices dropped for a second day on Friday,...
GLOBAL-LNG-Asian spot LNG prices remain at 6-month low as Trump tariffs pull markets down
GLOBAL-LNG-Asian spot LNG prices remain at 6-month low as Trump tariffs pull markets down
Apr 4, 2025
LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - Asian spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices remained at their lowest level in nearly six months on Friday as U.S. President Trump's liberation day tariffs pulled global markets down amid fears of a global recession. The average LNG price for May delivery into north-east Asia remained unchanged from last week at $13.00 per million British...
European Equities Traded in the US as American Depositary Receipts Plunge in Friday Trading
European Equities Traded in the US as American Depositary Receipts Plunge in Friday Trading
Apr 4, 2025
11:02 AM EDT, 04/04/2025 (MT Newswires) -- European equities traded in the US as American depositary receipts were plunging late Friday morning, down 5.08% to 1,297.45 on the S&P Europe Select ADR Index, which has lost more than 6% for the week so far. There were no gainers from continental Europe. The decliners from continental Europe were led by financial...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved