Oct 9 (Reuters) -ICE cotton futures were flat on Wednesday as investors looked forward to a federal weekly export sales report for more cues on demand, with a stronger U.S. dollar also keeping gains in check.
* Cotton contracts for December CTZ4 was mostly unchanged at 72.28 cents per lb at 01:10 p.m. EDT (1710 GMT).
* We're waiting for tomorrow's exports, and then Friday, we have the supply-demand report looking for a little smaller crop, said Keith Brown, principal at cotton broker Keith Brown and Co. in Georgia.
* "Demand has been terrible, we're not selling very much cotton... I think prices could just hang around 75 cents on the top side to 71 cents on the downside until we get a little deeper into the calendar."
* The dollar .DXY hit a near two-month high against its rivals, making cotton more expensive for other currency holders. USD/
* Oil fell by more than $1 a barrel on rising U.S. crude inventories, while the risk of supply disruption from the Middle East conflict and Hurricane Milton in the United States curbed price declines. O/R
* Lower oil prices make cotton-substitute polyester less expensive.
* Focus now shifts to weekly export sales report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) due on Thursday, followed by World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report on Friday.
* Last week, the USDA's weekly report showed net sales of upland cotton for 2024/2025 rose 9% to 95,800 running bales from the previous week, but were down 26% from the prior 4-week average. EXP/COT
* Elsewhere, Chicago Board of Trade corn and soybean futures ticked higher, as traders began adjusting positions ahead of a key government report and uncertainty over South American weather, market analysts said. GRA/
Reporting by Brijesh Patel in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore