Dollar Weakness Spurs Short-Covering in Sugar Futures

Core Insights - Sugar prices are experiencing an upward trend, reaching 1.5-week highs due to dollar weakness, which has led to short-covering in sugar futures [1] - Recent projections indicate a shift from a sugar deficit to a surplus in the global market for the 2025/26 season, with a surplus of +2.8 million metric tons (MMT) expected [2] Group 1: Price Movements - October NY world sugar 11 is up +0.16 (+1.01%), while December London ICE white sugar 5 is up +2.20 (+0.48%) [1] - Last Tuesday, NY sugar reached a 4.25-year nearest-futures low, and London sugar hit a 4-year low, continuing a 7-month downtrend due to abundant global sugar supplies [2] Group 2: Production and Supply Factors - Brazil's sugar output increased by +18% year-on-year to 3.872 MMT in the second half of August, with the percentage of sugarcane crushed for sugar rising to 54.20% [3] - Cumulative sugar output in Brazil for the 2025-26 season through August fell -1.9% year-on-year to 26.758 MMT [3] - India may divert 4 MMT of sugar for ethanol production in 2025/26, which could lead to increased exports of up to 4 MMT, surpassing earlier expectations [4] Group 3: Global Sugar Deficits and Surpluses - The International Sugar Organization (ISO) forecasts a global sugar deficit of -231,000 MT for the 2025/26 season, an improvement from a -4.88 MMT shortfall in 2024/25 [5] - Global sugar production is projected to rise by +3.3% year-on-year to 180.6 MMT for the 2025/26 season, while consumption is expected to increase by +0.3% year-on-year to 180.8 MMT [5] - Czarnikow projects a 7.5 MMT global sugar surplus for the 2025/26 season, the largest in 8 years, with the USDA forecasting a +4.7% year-on-year increase in global sugar production to a record 189.318 MMT [6]