Chicago Board of Trade rice futures ended with modest losses Monday, unable to maintain early gains based on light commercial buying.

May rice fell 3 cents to $9.76 and November edged 2 cents lower to $10.68. Commercial buying near the opening helped boost prices and led to light speculative buying, thought to be short covering,.

The lack of continued upside momentum, however, led to light local and spec selling and the market retreated to negative levels before commercial buying emerged at the lows to trim the losses near the close.