The US animal fats and oils markets were unchanged on Thursday January 9, as trade slowed following an active start to the week.

Participants continued to report stable pricing in the Gulf Coast, with indications received throughout the day for both tallow and used cooking oil (UCO) holding steady at 45 cents per lb and 46 cents per lb respectively.

Some noted that, while sentiment in the region has improved and demand is reportedly strong, markets remained tight — particularly for tallow — with a general hesitancy to trade at current levels as many anticipate a more bullish outlook for February.

One source highlighted that trading has been limited recently due to reduced beef slaughter hours, which is expected to cut production in the coming weeks. Additionally, downtime caused by adverse weather in key production regions this week has further tightened supply.

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