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Cocoa futures

decline

NEW YORK: CSCE cocoa futures ended lower on some light profit-taking in a quiet market which craved more hard evidence about next year's crops, traders said on Thursday.

Most active December ended $17 a tonne lower at $1,336 a tonne, traded $1,352 to $1,335. September closed at $1,318, down $13.

Volume was estimated at 6,077 lots, against yesterday's official 3,526 lots.

"Some sort of protective buying brought the market up - insurance against the possibility that the crops won't live up to their potential," a trader said. Profit-taking then took out the gains.

"The market is just drifting a little bit, looking for more concrete evidence of next year's crops," the trader said.-Reuter