SOFTS-Arabicas dip, sugar firms, cocoa eases

LONDON Dec 23 (Reuters) - ICE arabica coffee futures eased on investor selling in holiday-thinned business in early trading on Friday, while sugar firmed on book-squaring before year-end supported by a softer dollar, and cocoa edged down weighed by abundant West African supplies.

COFFEE

* Arabica coffee futures on ICE dipped on investor selling in light, holiday-thinned volumes and traded above Monday's one-year trough, supported by rising world equities and a stronger euro.

* Coffee is seen as having bullish market fundamentals due to weather-related problems in major producer Colombia.

* ICE May arabica futures were down 0.1 cent or 0.04 percent to $2.2405 per lb at 1016 GMT. On Monday the second position contract fell to a one-year low of $2.1235 per lb, pressured by concerns over the euro zone crisis and worries over the global economic outlook.

* London March robusta coffee futures were down $18 or 1 percent to $1,840 per tonne.

* New York coffee is neutral in a range of $2.2140 to $2.2655 per lb, and only an escape from this range will confirm a short-term trend, according to Reuters market analyst Wang Tao .

* Premiums for higher grade Vietnamese robusta edged up this week to offset declines in London futures, while beans from Indonesia's previous harvest were still in demand despite hefty premiums, dealers said.