London cotton prices remain steady: Prices of raw cotton in Europe remained steady, a Liverpool-based cotton information company said on Friday. Prices remained essentially unchanged in theabsence of any new stimulus, while the underlying sentiment of most traders remained rather bearish. Demand continued to be of disappointing proportions, a reflection of the slackness of business in cotton yarn, selective curtailment of output by some spinners. Sales of several categories of yarn remain barely remunerative, despite the current depression of raw cotton replacement costs.

Cotton prices remain unchanged: In New Delhi prices continued to move in a limited range on the cotton yarn market today on little trading activity and closed at last levels. Marketmen said price movement was restricted as there was hardly any new arrivals and worthwhile offtake. Outside advices were also conducive and volume of business small. Following were today's quotations per 4.54 kg: Waste yarn: Jyoti 2 count 120, diamond 2 count 123 and deepak 2 count 127. Hank yarn: (prices in Rs per 4.54 kg) jind 6 count 262 annapurna 6 count 255, annapurna 10 count 263, qulabpura 20 count- 378, mahavir 2/6 276 and bhatinda2/20 395.

Cotton rates rule steady: In Coimbatore prices of select cotton vareities including Maharashtra continued to remain during this week steady at South India Cotton Association (sica). Prices per quintal in Rs: Bengal deshi fine new crop (pjb) 4,233, wagad (guj) N Q, V-797 (guj) 4,555, jayadhar (ktk) 4,668, J-34-new crop (pjb) 4,768, F-414 (tn) N Q, lra-5,166 (tn) 5,343, H-4 new crop (MP) 5,342, lk-29 new crop (ap) 5,708, shankar-6-new crop (guj) 5,540, mcu-5 new crop (ap) 6,636, dch-32-new crop (ktk) 7198.

Cotton futures settle mixed: Cotton futures on the New York Cotton Exchange settled mixed, as funds scrambling to cover their shorts pushed the March contract higher, against a backdrop of mostly decreasing forward months. "It was mostly just a March trade, and the rest (of the months) tried to stay with March but couldn't, " a trader said. Market participants said that cotton export figures released Friday by the US Department of Agriculture showing a total 8 2,000 bales sold wereencouraging. "The export figure was a nice, good figure. It should have helped the may out, but really didn't," the trader said. "But just be cause they're up big now doesn't mean that they're going to be better later on," he added.

Onion farmers stage rasta-roko: About 500 farmers staged a rasta-roko on the Mumbai-Agra-highway for an hour yesterday after prices of onions crashed in the main Pimpalgaon and Lasalgaon markets. Farmers also stopped the ongoing auction at Umrane's sub-market and demanded remunerative price for their commodity. Later, they withdrew the rasta-roko following intervention of the Tehsildar, the police said. Following heavy offloading of onions in both Pimpalgaon and Lasalgaon markets, prices crashed by Rs 150 to Rs 175 per quintal, said sources.