Hide buyers have sent inquiries on a variety of products, but no bids yet. The most interest at this point in the week are for Heavy Native Steers, Branded Steers and Heavy Texas Steers. Overall, the hide market was very quiet today.

Synthetic fiber prices continue to rise along with crude petroleum prices, but demand for synthetic fibers remains firm. Athletic and casual wear trends increased in popularity during the pandemic when most were required to stay home. In the absence of a full return to offices and to pre-pandemic in general, the relaxed-wear trend has remained. A US leather footwear tanner stated, “the big brands in the footwear space are performing well with concentration continuously on athletic wear.”

History suggests prices for the synthetic material will increase along with the crude petroleum market. The Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) reported the Producer Price Index (PPI) for synthetic…