Cocoa prices have seen a significant drop, extending a weekly slide of nearly 30%, with the most active contract falling 7.6% to $6,990 a metric ton. This marks the biggest weekly drop since 1959, following a record high of nearly $12,000 a tonne just two weeks ago. The price surge was due to a severe supply shortage caused by a crop failure in West Africa, a situation that has led to cocoa shortages for the third year in a row. However, the recent drop is attributed to an outflow of traders, resulting in a drain on liquidity and extreme price swings. The financial crisis is now impacting the physical market, with traders delaying purchases from leading manufacturers due to the need to hedge their positions and the increased volatility.