Europe
There was good activity on the European hide market in the two weeks to Tuesday July 16, and suppliers of the most requested origins and weight ranges were able to close a good number of trades, sources told Fastmarkets. However, the general mood of market operators was mostly negative due to the various stress factors still affecting the leather business.

Following a month of general decreases in prices, most trades were closed at prices very close to last-traded levels. Buyers entered the market with lower bids, but this time suppliers did not give any ground and refused to lower their asking prices.

One of the decisive factors that hardened suppliers’ positions was the low number of items available on the market. The total amount of slaughtered cattle was very low compared with the seasonal average, and the outlook was that the situation would not improve anytime soon.

…