The US hide market began the week of Monday August 12 with little change from the close of the week ended Friday August 9, except for a drop in traded prices of heavy Texas steer (HTS) hides.

A few sellers reported that, over the weekend, they only had buyers willing to acquire fed and cow hides below last-traded prices.

Regular-weight HTS hides were heard traded at $21 per piece, down by $3 per piece from previously reported prices.

Over the past few months, the price of HTS hides has frequently fluctuated in the range of $0.50-3.00 per piece, driven by the variation of hide quality and freight advantages.

Cattle slaughter forecast
Fastmarkets’ research team forecasts cattle slaughter at 605,000 head in the week to August 17, up by 2.37% week on week and down by 1.90% year on year.

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