DJ MARKET TALK: Cotton Finishes Limit Up Ahead Of USDA Report

1455 EDT [Dow Jones] - Cotton futures settled limit up Thursday on hedging
ahead of tomorrow's USDA production report. Prices rose as traders covered
their shorts, Country Hedging said, in case production numbers come in at the
lower end of expectations. That cleared the way for buyers, said commodities
consulting firm Logic Advisors, in particular the purchase of a large block of
December options calls. Speculative buying piled on afterward, driving the most
active contract upward. ICE December futures settled 4 cents, or 4%, higher at
$1.0375 a pound.