The International Cotton Trade Julian Roche ISBN 1-88573-104-5 US$95.00 372 Pages Order This Book

The cotton trade is said to be the most sophisticated and complex of all the international commodity trades: the first to use telegraphs and telephones; the first to have reliable pricing; and the first to use futures contracts. It is now a worldwide and deeply professional business involving dozens of companies.

There is an immense amount of information available on the trade. The aim of this book is to decipher and interpret the data to provide a general guide for the uninitiated and a useful reference source for the expert. Traders and analysts, for example, will find the comparison between markets, the evaluation of index numbers and prices, the statistical compendium and the view of the future interesting and valuable. Those approaching the daunting and information-rich world of cotton for the first time will find the book both comprehensive and compact as well as readable.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: History and Background of Cotton Physical characteristics of cotton From first cultivation to the end of World War II Cultivation from World War II to the present day, by country Chapter 2: The Growing of Cotton Planting and growing The cotton cycle Pests, diseases and weeds of the cotton plant Ginning, bailing and transportation Chapter 3: The Genetics of Cotton Cotton agronomy Cotton biotechnology Chapter 4: World Cotton Production Types of cotton Overview of world cotton production Cotton production by country The measurement of quality and type Chapter 5: World Cotton Consumption The uses of cotton Trends in consumption and stocks Regional cotton consumption

Chapter 6: The International Textile Industry Cotton spinning and manufacture Cotton textile manufacturing The scope of the industry worldwide Competition for cotton Chapter 7: Cotton Prices The measurement of cotton prices Cotton price trends Chapter 8: Cotton Futures The history of futures markets Uses for derivative contracts Success of the markets The international cotton futures project The regulation of futures trading Forecasting the market Chapter 9: The International Cotton Trade The pattern of cotton trading after World War II The international cotton trade 1980-90 The international cotton trade in the 1990s Recent trends in the international cotton trade Existing international arrangements: export marketing; physical contracts Cotton trading companies The cotton freight market The future of international trade in cotton The future to 2000

About the Author

Michael Atkin is the Managing Partner of RER, a European property and commodities research consultancy. Projects currently underway are in the areas of European property, property derivatives, and inter-commodity comparisons. He previously worked at London Fox as Business Development Manager. This involved responsibility for technical development and marketing of a range of futures contracts, including responsibility for work on the possibility of launching an international cotton futures contract at Fox.