ICE cotton futures paused their rally and moved lower on Wednesday due to profit booking. Falling crude oil prices also put additional pressure on US cotton, although the broader grain market saw gains in US trading. Traders are awaiting the US cotton export sales report, due on Thursday.

ICE’s most active December 2025 contract settled at 67.73 cents per pound (0.453 kg), down 0.66 cent (0.97 per cent). The contract had gained 163 points, closing 2.4 per cent higher at a two-week high on Tuesday. The December contract opened Wednesday’s session at its highs but quickly turned lower. Selling pressure persisted throughout the day, and prices ended near the session’s low.

ICE cotton futures retreated on August 13, 2025, as profit booking and falling crude oil prices pressured the market.
The most active December 2025 contract fell 0.97 per cent to 67.73 cents per pound after hitting a two-week high the previous day.
Analysts called the drop a brief pause following recent gains, with US export sales remaining average.

Total trading volume was reported at 66,731 contracts, slightly below the previous day’s 74,011 contracts. According to ICE data, deliverable stocks of No. 2 cotton remained unchanged at 18,242 bales as of August 12, 2025.

Market analysts noted that the market had moved dramatically over the past two days, describing the August 13 pullback as a brief pause following a positive report. Recent US export sales have been average—neither poor nor exceptional—and are expected to maintain this pattern.

In the broader commodity complex, soybeans finished higher, marking gains in four of the past five sessions. Corn prices barely edged above Tuesday’s contract low, while wheat futures set a new contract low.

In US equities, the NASDAQ Composite and S&P 500 Index both reached new all-time highs for the second consecutive day, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average recorded its third-highest close on record.

Energy markets saw NYMEX crude oil futures fall to a more than two-month low, making petroleum-based polyester fibre relatively cheaper for textile producers compared to cotton.

As of the latest trade, ICE cotton for December 2025 was at 67.59 cents per pound (down 0.14 cent), cash cotton at 65.16 cents (down 0.66 cent), the October 2025 contract at 66.41 cents (down 0.66 cent), the March 2026 contract at 69.16 cents (down 0.16 cent), the May 2026 contract at 70.42 cents (down 0.13 cent), and the July 2026 contract at 71.18 cents (down 0.13 cent). A few contracts remained at their previous closing levels, with no trading recorded today.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)