SOFTS-US economic worries hit sugar, coffee and cocoa

* Fresh cash offtake could push sugar out of current range

* High U.S. jobless data weighs on ICE softs

(Recasts with markets closing levels, adds U.S. comment, and NEW YORK dateline/byline)

NEW YORK/LONDON, Nov 6 - Sugar, coffee and cocoa futures trading on ICE Futures U.S. finished weak in commodity-wide selling on Friday, as higher-than-expected U.S. jobless data spurred selling across the board.

The U.S. jobless rate hit a 26-1/2-year high at 10.2 percent last month as U.S. employers cut 190,000 jobs, posting a somewhat weaker performance than predicted by economists polled by Reuters before the data's release.

Arabica coffee futures finished lower in heavy volume, on profit-taking and commodity-wide selling that triggered automatic sell orders.

"Overall, it's more correlated with the macro news, the employment number being higher than expected, doesn't help," said Rodrigo Costa, vice-president Institutional Sales for Newdedge USA in New York.

"Some people are taking money off the table. I think more profit-taking," he said.

ICE December arabica coffee futures dropped 3.20 cents or 2.3 percent to close at $1.3890 per lb

Liffe January robustas finished down $6 to $1,439 per tonne.

Raw sugar fell on follow-through weakness from Thursday and commodity-wide pressure, despite strong fundamentals.

With the market closing off the day's lows, Jack Scoville, an analyst for brokers The Price Futures Group in Chicago, said sugar is seeing "some spec short covering...along with a bit of consumptive buying."

Others felt bullish fundamentals will keep losses in check and predict a fresh rally especially when supplies become tight in the first quarter of 2010.

Talk that the European Commission was about to grant a large tonnage of 2009/10 export licences, also may have weighed on sugar futures, dealers said.

There was no immediate confirmation of any award of licences.

Fresh physical offtake was required to give the sugar futures market renewed impetus, dealers said.

"At the moment, we're stuck in a 21-25 cents a lb range," said David Sadler, a senior sugar futures dealer.

Sugar dealers were keeping a close eye on more favorable weather patterns in Brazil after heavy and persistent rains delayed harvesting in the world's top producer and exporter.

ICE March raw sugar futures closed down 0.33 cent at 22.43 cents per lb, while London (Liffe) December white sugar finished $4.20 lower at $581 per tonne.

Cocoa futures were steady in slim volumes, pressured by harvests in West Africa and the general selling in commodities, the world's main cocoa growing region, dealers said.

December/March spreading boosted volume in U.S. cocoa futures.

ICE March cocoa finished $39 weaker at $3,237 per tonne, while Liffe March cocoa closed down 15 pounds at 2,132 pounds per tonne.