December 2026 Cotton No. 2 futures were quoted at 84.52 U.S. cents per pound at 08:48:18 UTC (14:18:18 IST) on September 16. The contract-specific delayed quote was 0.04 cent, or 0.05%, above September 15’s 84.48-cent close.
A narrow gain inside a wider range
The reported session range extended from 83.97 to 85.00 cents, a span of 1.03 cents, equivalent to about 1.22% of Tuesday’s closing level. The latest price was 0.55 cent above the low and 0.48 cent below the high, placing it slightly above the range’s midpoint.
That range was substantially larger than the four-point net gain. A nearly unchanged headline therefore does not mean prices were stationary. The range describes observed extremes, however, not the sequence of trades or evidence that either boundary will hold later.
Barchart’s September 15 closing report recorded December cotton at 84.48 cents, down seven points. The new quote recovered four of those seven points in arithmetic terms, while remaining three points below Monday’s 84.55-cent close.
Cents, points and contract exposure
ICE’s specifications define one point as one-hundredth of a cent per pound and a standard contract as 50,000 pounds. Thus 84.52 cents means $0.8452 per pound, not $84.52. The corresponding contract notional is $42,260, and a four-point move equals $20 per contract before costs.
The physically delivered contract has defined cotton-quality and location requirements; it is not a universal farm-gate or textile price. Subsequent coverage should match the December expiry and verify crop, export and inventory evidence before assigning a catalyst.
AI assistance supported source checks and calculations. Quotes are delayed, and futures leverage can magnify losses. This timestamped report is neither a price forecast nor investment advice.