US cocoa futures settled a touch higher Wednesday in a quiet session, with market players continuing to switch positions ahead of the front-month delivery's first notice day in two weeks, traders said.

But the bulls were reluctant to push futures prices too high with a hearty new West African harvest readying for export, they said.

The New York Board of Trade's active December cocoa contract rose just $1 to end at $1,369 a tonne, after trading from $1,357 to $1,378. March advanced $2 to $1,409, and back month cocoa futures likewise gained $2 in an otherwise quiet trading session.

Copyright Reuters, 2005