The New York Board of Trade's key March raw sugar contract slipped 0.19 cent to end at 11.37 cents a lb., after dealing from 11.52 to 11.36 cents.
May futures lost 0.16 to 11.35 cents and later-dated months shed 0.05-0.12 cent. Raw probed lower but the market remained in its recent sideways trading pattern in light volume and an absence of fundamental developments, dealers said.
"The big feature was the light volume under 20,000 lots," said one New York trader, who added that daily turnover typically is much higher.
"The market went down and I guess you could point your finger at a stronger dollar and continued weakness in whites," he said.
A stronger dollar often weighs on commodities because the dollar-denominated goods become costlier for market participants holding foreign currencies.
London sugar, meanwhile, retreated on fund liquidation in the December contract, which is due to expire next week. December ended just above a 2-1/2 month low, down $4.20 at $276 a tonne.
Raw sugar rallied to a seven-year peak of 11.91 cents a lb. on October 4 on expectations that leading growers like Brazil will divert cane into the production of ethanol, given high crude prices.
A fall in crude oil on Monday also may have dampened interest in sugar, traders said. Nonetheless, analysts see a tighter stock situation in 2005/06 and the relentless appetite of funds controlling large pools of money helping keep the sugar market on the boil.
Final estimated volume touched 19,464 lots, versus on Friday's also light 18,810 contracts. Call volume hit 2,960 contracts and puts amounted to 1,725 lots.
Open interest in the No 11 raw sugar market rose 2,252 lots to 466,254 lots as of November 4. Chartists put resistance for the March contract at 11.60 cents, then all the way up to the contract peak of 11.91.
Support would be at 11.13 and 11 cents. The ethanol futures market was not traded. There were no quotes in the spot November ethanol contract.
US domestic sugar prices were flat to lower. The January contract lost 0.06 cent to 21.60 cents a lb and March eased 0.03 to 21.37 cents. The rest were steady to 0.06 cent easier. Volume hit 645 lots, from the previous 785 lots.