DTN Closing Cotton            05/19 13:41

   Cotton Market Lower Tuesday

   The cotton market was markedly lower today after the "Chinese euphoria" of 
Monday wore off.

Keith Brown
DTN Contributing Cotton Analyst

   The cotton market was markedly lower today after the "Chinese euphoria" of 
Monday wore off. Last Sunday afternoon, the White House released its Trump/Xi 
fact sheet, which revealed potentially greater, long-range U.S. agricultural 
exports to China than had been originally declared. That narrative fed into the 
up-on-Monday and down-on-Tuesday trade.

   Monday afternoon, USDA issued its weekly Crop Progress report. The data 
showed that 41% of the 2026 cotton crop has been planted. That pace is very 
close to the historical flow for this time of year.

   This Thursday, USDA will release its weekly export sales. Last week's 
numbers revealed a mere 47,000 bales sold. It was a marketing-year-low amount.

   Option expiration for the July contract is Friday, June 12. Then Spot July 
delivery commences on June 24 and runs through July 7.

   The 6- to 10-day forecast (May 24-28) shows normal temperatures for Texas, 
but much-above normal readings for the U.S. Delta and the Southeast. Rainwise, 
Texas has above-normal chances, with the Delta and the Southeast expecting only 
slightly above-normal opportunities.

   For Tuesday, July closed at 82.33 cents, down 137 points; December closed at 
83.16 cents, minus 82 points; and March 2027 finished at 83.90 cents, 69 points 
lower. Tuesday's estimated volume was 60,785 contracts.

   Keith Brown can be reached at commodityconsults@gmail.com




(c) Copyright 2026 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.