You are here:
2 June 2004
Australian wool export volumes rose for the third consecutive month in May after registering negative growth for the previous thirty months on end. After a year-on-year rise in March, export volumes soared during April and continued the strong growth trend in May 2004.
25 June 2004
The Australian wool market finished this week with prices 0.8% higher, on average, at sales in Sydney and Melbourne.
Demand for wool in the interior textile sector (for use in products such as upholstery fabric, blankets, doonas etc) was supported in 2003 by continued strength in the housing markets of the US, UK and Australia.
Italian household consumption will continue to be flat during the current year with only a marginal lift in 2005, according to Italy's primary forecasting institute. Consumption growth forecasts vary quite widely among the various household items with expenditure on apparel expected to be fairly sluggish.
23 June 2004
When the sharp downward trend in wool prices re-emerged in mid-September 2003, US dollar-denominated prices for other commodities, particularly metals, were already on a bullish upward trend driven by soaring Chinese demand for raw materials.
17 June 2004
Japan's first quarter 2004 national accounts show the domestic economy grew even faster than the US during the same period. The rise in the March quarter's GDP levels to 5% year-on-year follows an already robust 3.5% growth rate registered in the final quarter of 2003.
16 June 2004
15 June 2004
After price premiums for finer wool grades were eroded during 2002 and 2003 to virtually nothing by mid-2003, the premium paid for 19 micron wool over 22 micron wool steadily increased throughout the first five months of 2004.
11 June 2004
The Australian Wool Market finished this week with prices 0.8% higher, on average, at sales in Sydney and Melbourne.
The commodity price surge seen over the past two years may be heading for a mild downward trend towards the end of the year.
Economic reports point to a solid recovery in Korea during 2004 led by export demand, while domestic personal consumption is expected to remain fairly stagnant.
7 June 2004
Highlights from the June edition of Monthly Market Briefing:
The volume of Australian exports of raw and semi-processed wool has declined so far this season, allowing smaller exporters, South Africa in particular, to either benefit from this shift in sourcing or experience a more modest decline in their wool exports.
4 June 2004
The Australian Wool Market finished on a strong note this week with average prices finishing 2.3% higher, on average, at sales in Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle.
Retail sales data from the Italian national statistics institute ISAT revealed that February and March retail sales increased only marginally in nominal terms compared to the same period last year. Compared to this, the January figures (+3.8%) could be described as buoyant.
Trends in luxury textile fibre prices in April hint at a sustained global recovery.
20 June 2004
Japan's imports of chiefly wool garments continued to show a mild recovery during February 2004.
18 June 2004
The Australian Wool Market finished this week with prices 1.6% higher, on average, at sales in Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle.