(Updates with robusta coffee in third paragraph.)

Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Money managers increased their net- short positions, or bets on lower prices, in London cocoa futures by 33 percent in the week ended Nov. 15, data from NYSE Liffe, the derivatives arm of NYSE Euronext, show.

Net-short positions climbed to 7,744 contracts as of Nov. 15, up from 5,843 futures a week earlier, according to the weekly commitments of traders report published on the exchange’s website today. Cocoa prices fell 4.4 percent in the same period.

In robusta coffee, money managers increased their net-short position by 13 percent. Net-short positions climbed to 11,880 lots as of Nov. 15 from 10,514 futures a week earlier, the data show. Robusta coffee rose 2.6 percent in the same period.

In white, or refined, sugar, money managers decreased their net-long position, or bets on higher prices, to 4,126 futures from 4,926 contracts over the week, a 16 percent decline, according to exchange figures. White sugar slipped 3 percent in the same period.

In feed wheat, money managers trimmed their net-short position for a second week to 358 futures, from 409 the previous week. Money managers have been net short feed wheat for nine consecutive weeks. Feed wheat slid 3.2 percent in the period.

--Editors: Sharon Lindores, Dan Weeks

To contact the reporter on this story: Isis Almeida in London at ialmeida3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: John Deane at jdeane3@bloomberg.net