On Thursday, ICE cotton futures posted gains of 8 points across the front-month contracts. Crude oil futures rose 8 cents per barrel to $56.02, while the US dollar index increased by 0.093 to 98.095.

Export Sales data showed cotton sales of 135,886 running bales during the week ending November 27, marking a four-week low. Shipments, however, reached a three-week high at 122,094 running bales.

Total cotton export sale commitments now stand at 5.72 million running bales, which is 16.53% below the same period last year. This shortfall is largely due to weaker sales, even as shipments during the marketing year are actually up 7.61% at 2.3 million running bales.

Thursday’s online auction from The Seam recorded sales of 14,934 bales at an average price of 60.84 cents per pound. The Cotlook A Index fell by 90 points on December 17 to 73.00 cents. ICE certified cotton stocks were unchanged on December 17, with certified stock levels at 12,396 bales. Meanwhile, the Adjusted World Price was updated this afternoon to 49.99 cents per pound, reflecting a 40-point decline from last week.