Orange juice futures fell on concern that the credit crisis and a slumping global economy will erode demand for commodities.

U.S. sales of orange juice fell 4.5 percent in the 11 months ending Aug. 30 from a year earlier, according to an AC Nielsen report on the Florida Department of Citrus website. The credit crunch may spur investors to sell futures to raise cash, said Donna Heidkamp, a senior trading advisor at RJO Futures in Chicago.

''All commodities are getting hit, and cash is king,'' Heidkamp said. ``There are a lot of substitutes for orange juice.''

Orange juice futures for November delivery fell 0.45 cent, or 0.5 percent, to 81.65 cents a pound on ICE Futures U.S. in New York.

The diminishing threat that a hurricane will hit citrus groves in Florida, the world's biggest grower behind Brazil, is also bearish for futures, Heidkamp said.

Join the discussion

Note: If this is your first time using our NEW commenting system, you will have to LOG OUT and then LOG BACK IN.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@