• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
StoneX®

Trade Futures, Spreads and Options with Confidence.

Top Navigation

  • Open a Futures Account
  • Sign Up
  • Log in
  • 1.800.800.3840

Primary Navigation Menu

  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Services
    • Risk Disclosure
    • COVID-19
  • Trade
    • Broker-Assisted
    • Self-Directed / Online
    • Request Pricing
  • Hedge
    • Ag Marketing Plan
    • WASDE Analysis
    • Grain Resources
    • Livestock / Dairy Resources
    • Request Pricing
  • Invest
    • Automated Strategies
    • Managed Futures
    • Request Pricing
  • Advisories
    • GENERAL / FUNDAMENTAL
      • DT Newsletter
      • Insider Market Advisory
      • Turner’s Take Newsletter & Podcast
    • TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
      • The Cullen Outlook
      • Data Feed Trade
      • Jarboe Trading Journal
      • Trade Spotlight
    • AG MARKETING
      • Cattleman’s Advisory
      • Technical Ag Knowledge
      • Turner’s Take Ag Marketing
    • THIRD-PARTY RESOURCES
      • CFRN
      • Moore Research Center, Inc. (MRCI)
      • OptionWorks®
      • TASMarketProfile.com
  • Education
    • CME Group Resource Center
    • CME Group Offers
    • Small Exchange Resources
    • Guides
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Order Entry Handbook
  • Blog
    • Futures 101
    • Ag Marketing
    • Tips & Strategies
    • Trading Advisories
  • Resources
    • Trading Software
    • Quotes and Charts
    • Futures Calendars
    • Contract Specifications
    • Margin Requirements
    • Futures Calculator
  • Accounts
    • Apply
    • Access My Account
    • Funding
  • Contact
Home / Education / Markets / Tropicals & Softs Futures Overview / Cocoa Futures

Cocoa Futures

Cocoa Futures The precious value of the cocoa bean has long been known. It has even been used as a form of currency in Central and South America before the Spanish conquest. Just as it was a royal luxury in Renaissance Spain, cocoa today is predominantly enjoyed by the wealthier economies such as the U.S., Netherlands, and Germany. Today, it is recognized that cocoa futures represent the benchmark for the world cocoa market.

Cocoa Contract Specifications
Product Symbol CC
Contract Size 10 metric tons
Price Quotation Dollars per metric tons
Contract Months March, May, July, September, December
Minimum Fluctuation $1.00/metric ton, equivalent to $10.00 per contract.
Settlement Procedure Physical Delivery
Daily Price Limit none
Delivery Growths The growth of any country or clime, including new or yet unknown growths. Growths are divided into three classifications. Group A-Deliverable at a premium of $160/ton (including main crops of Ghana, Lome, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone). Group B-Deliverable at a premium of $80/ton (includes Bahia, Arriba, Venezuela,Sanchez among others). Group C-Deliverable at par (includes Haiti, Malaysia and all others).
Delivery Points At licensed warehouses in the Port of New York District, Delaware River Port District, Port of Hampton Roads, Port of Albany or Port of Baltimore.
First Day Notice Ten business days prior to first business day of delivery month.
Last Trading Day One business day prior to last notice day.
Last Notice Day Ten business days prior to last business day of delivery month.
Trading Hours
  Trading Pre-Open
NEW YORK: 4:00 AM-2:00 PM
04:00-14:00
08:00 PM
20:00
LONDON: 9:00 AM-7:00 PM
09:00-19:00
01:00 AM
01:00
SINGAPORE: 4:00 PM-2:00 AM
16:00-02:00
8:00 AM
08:00
Source: ICE

Cocoa Facts

Cocoa is a powder derived from the fruit seeds of the cacao tree. It was referred as “the fruit of the gods” when it was first discovered in South America and was used as both a currency and a base of a drink. Historical evidence tells us that cocoa has been consumed for thousands of years. Today, about 3 million metric tons of cocoa are produced each year. The largest user of cocoa is the chocolate industry, but cocoa is also used in many non-food products including makeup and soap.

Cocoa is produced in warm climates like rainforests, near the equator. There are four major West African cocoa producers: the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon. These nations account for two-thirds of the world’s cocoa production. Other producers include: Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic. Cocoa begins as a seed that eventually germinates and produces a plant. The plant can be grown in many soil types. Cocoa trees usually take 3-5 years to mature and can live for up to 50 years. When cocoa beans are produced, it takes about 6 months for them to ripen.

Source: CME Group, ICCO, Barchart

Last updated May 2013

Additional Info

Recent Posts on Cocoa

  • Recap Of the February “Data Feed Trade” (2/22/2022) - Here is a recap of the “Data Feed Trade” from February 2022. The “Data Feed Trade” is a strategy to collect premium once a month to offset your monthly exchange data fees. You can read all of the details of this strategy in the following article: Paying Exchange Market Data Fees Every Month? DON’T! The May 2022… Read more.
  • Beyond the Spotlight: November 22, 2021 (Aussie Dollar, Wheat, Cocoa) (11/22/2021) - Beyond the Spotlight is a weekly video released on Mondays that spotlights two or three markets that may become trading opportunities for the week ahead. This enables you as a subscriber of the Trade Spotlight advisory service to look ahead with us, while potentially creating additional trading opportunities for yourself. The week’s video linked below… Read more.
  • Beyond the Spotlight: May 03, 2021 (Bonds, Cocoa, Cotton) (5/3/2021) - Beyond the Spotlight is a weekly video released on Mondays that spotlights two or three markets that may become trading opportunities for the week ahead. This enables you as a subscriber of the Trade Spotlight advisory service to look ahead with us, while potentially creating additional trading opportunities for yourself. The week’s video linked below covers… Read more.

Primary Sidebar

Tips & Strategies

How Does Inflation Affect Markets?

The highest inflation measure in more than 40 years has left many markets in utter disarray: Nasdaq is at its lowest since 2020, interest rates are their highest since 2007, and the US dollar is the strongest it’s been since the early aughts

The End of an Era for the Euro

If you started trading in the last two decades, you’ve only known a world in which the euro is worth more than the US dollar. You’d have to go all the way back to 2002 to find data points representing the EUR/USD conversion rate that start with a zero to the left of the decimal point.

Charts

Probabilities are Accurate Until They Aren’t

What do all the probabilities in your life have in common? They’re all dynamic – constantly changing. At the conclusion of the event a binary 0% or 100% is realized, but the journey to that ending can witness wild swings in either direction….

More Tips & Strategies

  • How the Fed Affects Interest Rates
  • Neutral Trading Strategies for an Inactive Market
  • Technical Analysis 101: What Is the Parabolic SAR?
  • OHLC Charts vs. Candlestick Charts: Which Is Better?
  • How to Harness the Power of Moving Average Crossovers
  • Technical Analysis of Stocks: Understand the Pros and Cons
Trustpilot

Footer

Site Navigation

  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • About Us
  • Customer Reviews
  • Contact Us
  • Futures Blog
  • Open a Futures Trading Account
  • Media Resources
  • Fund Your Account
  • Legal Notices

Contact Us

StoneX Financial Inc.
Daniels Trading Division
230 South LaSalle Suite 10-500
Chicago, IL 60604
+1.312.706.7600 Local / Int'l
+1.800.800.3840 Toll-Free
+1.312.706.7605 Fax

Connect with Us

Trustpilot
Risk Disclosure

The StoneX Group Inc. group of companies provides financial services worldwide through its subsidiaries, including physical commodities, securities, exchange-traded and over-the-counter derivatives, risk management, global payments and foreign exchange products in accordance with applicable law in the jurisdictions where services are provided. References to over-the-counter (“OTC”) products or swaps are made on behalf of StoneX Markets LLC (“SXM”), a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”) and provisionally registered with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) as a swap dealer. SXM’s products are designed only for individuals or firms who qualify under CFTC rules as an ‘Eligible Contract Participant’ (“ECP”) and who have been accepted as customers of SXM. StoneX Financial Inc. (“SFI”) is a member of FINRA/NFA/SIPC and registered with the MSRB. SFI does business as Daniels Trading/Top Third/Futures Online. SFI is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as a Broker-Dealer and with the CFTC as a Futures Commission Merchant and Commodity Trading Adviser. References to securities trading are made on behalf of the BD Division of SFI and are intended only for an audience of institutional clients as defined by FINRA Rule 4512(c). References to exchange-traded futures and options are made on behalf of the FCM Division of SFI.

Trading swaps and over-the-counter derivatives, exchange-traded derivatives and options and securities involves substantial risk and is not suitable for all investors. The information herein is not a recommendation to trade nor investment research or an offer to buy or sell any derivative or security. It does not take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situation or needs and does not create a binding obligation on any of the StoneX group of companies to enter into any transaction with you. You are advised to perform an independent investigation of any transaction to determine whether any transaction is suitable for you. No part of this material may be copied, photocopied or duplicated in any form by any means or redistributed without the prior written consent of StoneX Group Inc.

© 2023 StoneX Group Inc. All Rights Reserved

  • Risk Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • California Residents Privacy Notice
  • Terms of Use
  • Back to top
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.