Cotton Futures Decline as Markets Prepare for Juneteenth Holiday Break

Cotton futures slipped 4 to 85 points across most contracts on Thursday, though July remained up 311 points for the week. Crude oil weakened another 17 cents to $76.64 per barrel, while the US dollar index rose 0.710 to 100.800.

The market and government will observe Juneteenth on Friday with a normal reopening Sunday night. USDA’s Export Sales report released Thursday showed 177,098 running bales of cotton sold for 2025/26 marketing year in the week of June 11, marking a three-week low. This figure nearly tripled the same period last year, with Pakistan purchasing 76,600 RB and India 39,600 RB. New crop sales totaled 188,395 RB, down from the previous week’s marketing year high, led by Vietnam’s 65,600 RB and Pakistan’s 39,600 RB.

Shipments reached 250,964 RB, the lowest level since mid-February but up 6.23% year-over-year. Vietnam ranked as the top destination with 66,300 RB shipped, followed by Pakistan at 33,100 RB.

The Seam reported 6,099 bales sold on June 17 at an average price of 74.41 cents per pound. The Cotlook A Index climbed 100 points Wednesday to 86.50 cents. ICE certified cotton stocks fell 1,677 bales on June 17 to 191,022 bales, while the Adjusted World Price dropped 111 points to 62.37 cents per pound.

Price closes: July 26 cotton at 76.05 cents (down 85 points); December 26 cotton at 79.67 cents (down 12 points); March 27 cotton at 81.05 cents (down 4 points).

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