Hide Market

The world stock markets ended the week on Friday with some much needed gains on the heels of the Bank of Japan’s decision to move to a negative interest rate.  With a less than stellar start to the week in the Chinese stock market, it was a welcome sight to see Friday end slightly up.  Unfortunately, this improvement was not enough to overcome the big losses in the beginning of the week.  One could say that the hide market followed a similar path this week.  At the beginning of the week tanners … [Read more...] about The Hide Market Report – February 1, 2016

Oil kept bouncing around the $30.00 a barrel number last week and commodities in general floundered.  Stock prices and equity markets around the world continued to have what analysts call “corrections”.  Cattle slaughter in the U.S. picked up last week and many tanners around the world, mainly side leather tanners, continued to complain of a lack of leather orders.  Through it all the U.S. hide market for all intents and purpose held its own.  Plump Steer hide producers were able to move any … [Read more...] about The Hide Market Report – January 18, 2016

Things were a little more active in the U.S. hide market last week than we anticipated.  We don’t think a whole lot of hides were traded, but still more than we expected, and enough were sold to keep the market on a steady keel.  The Cattle slaughter for the New Year holiday week was up a bit from the Christmas week, but well below a full week’s production.  The regular weight Steer hide selections that were made available for sale by suppliers were sold at no worse than steady money.  Although … [Read more...] about The Hide Market Report – January 4, 2016

There were a fair amount of sales of raw hides and wet blues last week.  Prices paid by buyers for most Steer hide selections were steady, and there may have been a few marginally higher or lower, but by no more than $1.00 up or down on any item.  We don't think there were as many pieces traded as during each of the two weeks prior, but still we expect most suppliers sold a week's production or close to it.  On the supply side, cattle slaughter was up a touch from the week’s earlier number, and … [Read more...] about The Hide Market Report – November 9, 2015

One of the Big U.S. Packers pulled the rug from beneath the U.S. Steer hide market last week.  Apparently they needed to move a good number of Steer hides and to do so they lowered the price they were willing to accept for their Steer hide selections.  That move by one of the big four Fat Cattle processors forced all other Steer hide suppliers to closely look at their sold ahead positions and to accept bids that they had previously ignored.  The result, from all reports, was that a large number … [Read more...] about The Hide Market Report – October 26, 2015

There was a fair amount of business done in the U.S. hide market last week. Most suppliers reported a large number of bids and sold a good number of hides and/or wet blues.  Chinese tanners led other destination buyers by a large margin, taking the lion’s share of what was traded.  On the negative side for the U.S. Steer hide sellers, in order to accumulate the volume of sales they put together last week, suppliers had to reduce unit prices by anywhere from $1.00 to $3.00 per piece.  Those … [Read more...] about The Hide Market Report – October 19, 2015

There was not a lot for U.S. hide suppliers to cheer about last week.  Korean tanners were back to work last Monday but they were not back in the market in any big way.  Chinese tanners started returning to work on Thursday and Friday of last week, but many of them will not be up and running until today.  So, all in all, there was not much in buyer interest out of Asia last week.   We heard many of the same laments from Korean and Chinese tanners:  Leather orders are slow coming, buyer ideas are … [Read more...] about The Hide Market Report – October 12, 2015

Hides and Skins:  Net sales of 351,000 pieces for 2015, were up 81 percent from the previous week and 35 percent from the prior 4-week average.  Whole cattle hide sales of 350,100 pieces were primarily for China (214,600 pieces), South Korea (69,400 pieces), Mexico (33,700 pieces), Taiwan (19,800 pieces), and Vietnam (6,700 pieces). Decreases were reported for Thailand (1,100 pieces).  Exports of 511,800 pieces were up 53 percent from the previous week and 19 percent from the prior 4-week … [Read more...] about U.S. Export Sales Report – 9/17/2015

U.S. Steer hide prices came under some downward pressure last week.  Packers and dealers tried to hold the line but not all of them were able to do so.  There were just not enough tanners willing to pay the steady price levels that most sellers were looking for.  Oh yes, there were a few selections and productions that sellers were able to get steady money for, but it did appear that more of the hides sold were booked for a dollar or two lower than last traded levels.  How many hides were sold?  … [Read more...] about The Hide Market Report – September 21, 2015

The All China Leather Exposition came and went during the first three days of last week.  The reports from those in attendance were pretty much consistent.  Everyone agreed that the show was well attended, better than last year’s Shanghai show, and much better than this year’s Asian Pacific Leather Fair held in Hong Kong this last March 30th through April 1s.  By all accounts, the Hong Kong show was one of the worst ever.  Most everyone agreed that even though there were a lot of people at the … [Read more...] about The Hide Market Report – September 7, 2015